The Wings of Goodbye
by The Mermaid Queen
Summary: "What you must learn is that when you wish to save someone dear to your heart you must at the same time feel the fear and sadness of losing them." In another realm, the journey to save the world suffers a drastic change before it even begins. Because sometimes, memories are scattered and that is that. But other times? The result is something even more unwelcome.
1. First Flight

**Disclaimer**: I do not own _Fire Emblem Awakening_ nor any of the canon characters from there. As for any original characters that may show up, any resemblance they may have to others is highly likely coincidental. If not and they happen to reference some other character or fandom on purpose or by accident, I don't own that either! (Also don't own the summary quote, which is from _InuYasha_.)

**Other Notes**: I have no idea whether or not I'll be able to faithfully write for this all the way until the end. I have a rough idea for the plot in mind, but I'm busy with classes and the like and may have difficulties updating regularly. You have been warned!

Also, on the subject of the plot, it _will_ diverge from the canon plot at times. However, it will also _follow_ the canon plot at other times (because the more things change, the more things stay the same… or something like that). You'll see. Eventually. Maybe._**  
**_

And one last thing: I might not update much here, but this story will be connected to a tumblr blog dedicated to _Fire Emblem_ stuff, doubling as an ask/RP blog for the MU featured here. You can check it out at **high-deliverer-eve**

* * *

_**The Wings of Goodbye**_

**Chapter One  
**

* * *

Judith was never very much of a dreamer. Then again, when you were born to be a pawn of the Grimleal, it was hard to be.

Even if they were meant to serve you to the best of their abilities.

"Milady," spoke one such minion, as she liked to call them, from the doorway to her chambers. And she truly meant "chambers". Extravagant as her rooms were, they were still cages that kept her bound to this wretched place. "Lord Validar wishes for you to join him in greeting His Majesty."

She snorted, nestling further into the pillows cushioning her back on the wide window seat, staring pointedly outside. "I have no wish to go," she said truthfully before lying plainly, "I am not feeling all that well at the moment."

"Milady," the woman spoke again, somewhat timidly and likely fearing her wrath—or perhaps the wrath of her husband. "He insists."

Annoyance curled in Judith's chest. Of course he would _insist_. He always _insisted_ when it came to her meeting with Plegian royalty or other rank of importance. Not that it was ever truly for her, thank the gods. No, it was for the parasite growing inside of her, to expose them even inside the womb to the people they would one day have at their beck and call. "And I insist I stay here. This _child_—" she forced herself to emphasize the word rather than spit it out as she very much wanted to, "—is feeling restless right now and it is making me quite… ill."

She did not know if such a thing were possible as it had never happened before (the being occupying her womb was actually quite placid, if such a thing made sense), but she did not let it stop her from saying it. Thankfully, the little Grimleal minion did not think to question it, stopping her heckling with only a frantic glance to Judith's stomach before retreating. Judith only watched as she bowed her way out of the room, and fought the urge to roll her eyes with every apology uttered.

It was only when the doors shut behind the woman that Judith relaxed, sighing against her pillows. "For all that you are a burden and unwanted," she said aloud to her stomach, "you are quite useful at times. They do not dare push me for fear of disturbing you." Even Validar, her husband to her extreme misfortune, did not chance anything around Judith or Grima's unborn vessel.

Yes. The fell dragon's precious vessel…

In a way, Judith was little more than a vessel herself. Born to the Grimleal to serve it, it was decided early on that she was of pure enough blood to breed in hopes of creating the perfect being that would one day bring Grima to the mortal realm once more. With her and Validar's union, and their subsequent procreation, they received the news that the Grimleal as a whole had been waiting for. The news that their child was chosen by Grima, and would herald the beginning of the fell dragon's return to greatness.

Truly, she pitied the demon inside of her just as much as she hated it.

And she would not live to watch this thing she had grown inside of her become exactly what the Grimleal wished. As soon as it was out of her body, if she survived the birthing process (as she greatly feared it would kill her, bringing a monstrosity chosen by Grima himself into the world), she would leave. If Validar and his minions had their precious vessel for Grima, she would no longer be necessary to keep around, after all. She doubted even they could do something as stupid as lose a child. They would likely protect Grima's vessel with their lives if need be.

(Somewhere, deep in the back of her mind, she whispered apologies to her unborn child. She apologized for many things, from what she planned to do before the child was even aware of the world, to being unable to love them as a child should be loved by its own mother.)

* * *

The vessel was born several months later. It was a female, with tanned skin significantly lighter than Validar's but no less Plegian, and hair as silvery a blue as Judith's own. When her eyes opened and settled, Judith was mesmerized by the deep green color that mirrored hers. A warmth bloomed unbidden in her chest…

…And died when the midwife exclaimed in excitement over the child's right hand, showing both parents what Judith had failed to see whilst transfixed over her other features.

The Mark of Grima.

Bitterly reminded of the fell dragon and cursing herself for her near folly, Judith refused to hold the child again. Instead, she ordered what servants were there to settle her in the space they'd set up nearby, making sure they kept the child's right side to her so that the Mark could be seen at all times. She would not be caught unaware again, and the minions happily obliged, unaware of her true reasons.

When another turned to her to ask what she wished to name the child vessel, Judith refused to reply.

"My husband can take care of that," she said as primly as she could while exhausted from giving birth. In her mind, she was already going over the plans she had made months before on how to escape.

"Lord Validar said that you were to be the one to name the child," replied the woman, patient yet firm. She would not leave until Judith gave the vessel a name.

Displeased, Judith eyed the tiny bundle. Her mouth set into a grim line when guilt began to prick at her chest. She was already going to leave the child soon to its fate—what was a little name in the grand scheme of things?

Eyes lowered, the unwilling Grimleal matriarch mulled the thought over in her head. A fitting name for a child with a hopeless future. "…Reverie. Her name will be 'Reverie'."

The other woman blinked in surprise. "That is a bit of an unusual name, is it not?" she asked, before remembering herself, her place, and the status of the woman sitting before her. She paled and began backtracking with admirable speed, "N-Not that that is a bad thing, milady! I-I was just commenting on the, er, _unique_ quality it has…!"

Judith shrugged, eyes flicking back up to the vessel she had just birthed before turning away. She sank back into the bed and stared at the ceiling, willing herself not to count the minutes to her departure. "I like the sound of it. That's all."

And it _was_ fitting, she thought. Reverie. The child was ultimately just a fleeting dream in the wake that was Grima, after all. She would disappear before long.

* * *

To Judith's misfortune, when she had recovered enough from birthing Reverie she found that Validar had increased security around her. Not just the child, but _her_. Discreetly, of course, but Judith was no helpless female untrained in the art of war—she was a full-fledged falcon knight and her honed senses for enemies could feel the unknown presences all around her. They lingered outside of her doors and beyond her windows, but were gone from sight whenever she moved to open one to catch a glimpse of them.

It bothered her greatly to be so surrounded, but after several days of deliberately letting her guard down and no assassination attempts, she decided that Validar only wished to keep her in rather than get rid of her entirely. Which was, perhaps, even more of a bother. As much as she liked to live, dying would have been a much better alternative than having to remain within those walls.

Still, she would not give up trying to leave—she would simply have to lie low for a while. Eventually, Validar would lessen the guard around her and she could escape then. He had done it before, after all. After their wedding, after her pregnancy was announced… She was used to the suspicion by her dastard of a husband, so she supposed some part of her had been expecting this. In the end, it actually worked to her advantage. She knew how he operated on one such thing, at least, which made him predictable. Now, Judith was no genius, but even she knew how to exploit predictability to great effect.

She only wished he would be predictable in other ways, and that the Grimleal was not so fanatical a group. If they had been, perhaps she would have managed to drive a blade through her husband's heart long ago.

She stifled a dark laugh.

That was, of course, counting on the fact that he had a heart to stab, which she very much doubted.

* * *

It was several months after Reverie's birth that Judith was awakened in the middle of the night by her cries.

At first, the groggy matriarch could only stare dazedly at the ceiling, wondering what the foreign sound was that disturbed her sleep so. When her mind woke and reminded her of the vessel, she scowled and wondered where the child's caretakers were.

True to her internal vow, Judith had had little, if any, contact with Reverie since the babe was expelled from her body. She gave instructions for other members of the Grimleal to take over watching the infant, which they were only too happy to attend to. They had all but set up a system the last time she checked, where all hours were painstakingly accounted for in regards to Reverie's care. Had it been any other child in any other place, she would have found their dedication rather cute.

So, plainly put, Judith had to wonder why Reverie seemed to be unattended now if she were worked up so badly as to cry continuously with no one to silence her. With a deep sigh, Judith threw off the covers and exited her room, following the echoing screams to the child's room.

As she suspected, the room was empty save for the infant. Even the halls were devoid of life as she approached the room, no one scurrying forth to relieve her of this duty.

Another sigh left her as she crossed the grand room to the cradle. She stopped at its side and peered in somewhat warily, unsure of what to expect.

(She felt foolish at this thought much later, when she gave it more thought. What else was there to expect but a child?)

A crying face met her gaze, scrunched up with the ugly bawling every child makes when upset and unable to comprehend why. Against her better judgment, Judith reached in to pick the screaming infant up, holding her for the first time since her birth.

"Quiet, child," she said in a low, tired tone. "I don't know where your usual caretakers are, but their absence does not give you permission to throw a tantrum."

The crying continued.

Taking in a deep breath through her nose, Judith wracked her mind for what to do while her body subconsciously began rocking the baby in her arms. She was on the brink of triggering a headache from the extensive thinking and lack of sleep when she realized that the cries had quieted down.

Blinking, Judith shifted the tiny body to better view her face and immediately caught a sleepy reflection of her green eyes on the girl's face.

And that was when she realized it.

Carefully, Judith cradled the girl in one arm as she reached up to wipe away the last of her tears.

Reverie blinked back at her before yawning widely. But even then, she resumed watching her mother with her large green eyes.

Chuckling even as her heart began to pound at the implications of her revelation, Judith lowered her head to nudge against her daughter's, breathing in her scent.

Her daughter still held securely in her arms, she walked across the room to sit down at the small table set up in the corner just beside closed balcony doors. As she settled down, Reverie resting against her breast, Judith stared out at the night sky, wistful. Regretful.

"You are not Grima," she spoke aloud, very quietly. Then, stronger, she said, "Not you. Not my Reverie."

She looked down again, one hand going to touch Reverie's right hand. The hand that bore the dreaded Mark.

"You are not Grima," she repeated.

And so she made a new vow.

* * *

"I have been informed that you wish to reclaim your maternal duties to Reverie," Validar stated when they met not a few days later in Judith's room, which was quickly being transformed to accommodate both herself and Reverie.

"I did," Judith replied coolly. "And I have."

She stood on the other side of her large bed, where Reverie's cradle was, silently daring her husband to join her, or try to take away her daughter.

He did not.

"May I ask what brought about this… change?" His sharp eyes slanted her way, and she willed herself not to tense under his critical gaze.

"What does it matter?" she asked in response, turning away from him to scoop Reverie's sleeping body from her nest. She glided across the room, petting her daughter's silvery hair in an effort to calm herself down.

She felt Validar remain in the room, eerily quiet. He soon left without another word, but she remained anxious for a while after.

If she predicted him correctly, he would increase the guard around her again, and it would be a long while before it reduced enough for them to leave.

But Judith was willing to wait. There was still time, and she would cling to that knowledge, that hope, that her daughter would not live and die in vain. Eventually, they would escape.

Eventually, they would be free.

* * *

It took three years.

Three long years before Validar finally began reducing the watch on Judith and Reverie. Three long years before Judith could sleep an entire night through without waking up in the middle fearing a knife at her throat. Three long years of fearing that perhaps Validar would not trust her again, that he had become so paranoid with the birth of Reverie that they would truly be trapped there forever until Grima was summoned and destroyed everything.

But now, three years were gone, and Judith was finally able to put her plans into motion.

With a pack she had prepared as soon as the guard began reducing on her back and Reverie's toddler body bundled up in her arms, Judith snuck out of her rooms in the dead of night. Quickly and silently, she slipped through the halls to the courtyard where the stables were, entering them and locating her trusted steed, a white pegasus by the name of Ilyas.

Judith set a dozing Reverie down and urged her to be quiet while she readied Ilyas for the ride, saddling up in record speed. When the pack of supplies was securely strapped on, Judith stroked Ilyas's neck in an affectionate manner.

"This is an important flight, old friend," she murmured into the flying horse's neck. "We cannot fail."

And, as if he understood her, Ilyas's head bobbed. Reverie giggled from her bundle of blankets on the floor.

Judith couldn't help a small laugh of her own, but she quickly quieted as she stooped down to pick up Reverie again and place her on Ilyas's back. "Hold on now, okay? I'm coming up." When Reverie obediently clung to Ilyas's neck, Judith lifted herself onto his back. Once situated, she made sure that Reverie was secure, strapping the young girl to her own body, before urging Ilyas forward.

Heart pounding, she directed her mount to an open area clear for flight.

She took in a breath to steady her nerves.

"Okay, Ilyas. Reverie." Judith spared her daughter a smile. "Let's fly."

In the cover of night, the three were nothing but another star on the horizon before the Grimleal even knew what happened. But even then Judith pushed them ever onward for fear of landing too close and getting caught while unaware. Reverie fell asleep in her arms, lulled by the sound of Ilyas's wings beating steadily against the wind.

She was not sure how long they'd been traveling, but Judith presumed it was at least several hours by the lightening of the sky when they finally landed. The presence of trees and the cooler climate gave her the impression that they were around Plegia's border with Regna Ferox or perhaps even Ylisse. She cared little for the details, however, hoping only that they were far enough to catch some rest before taking to the skies once again.

Directing Ilyas to a small glade, Judith slid off his back with Reverie in tow. She settled the sleeping girl against a tree before attending to her loyal partner, setting out food and drink and giving him a light brushing down before returning to Reverie's side.

And as she dozed off, mind aware and ready to jump into action at a moment's notice, Judith swore that her daughter's future would be a happy one.


	2. The Boy in the Woods

**Disclaimer**: I do not own _Fire Emblem Awakening_ nor any of the canon characters from there. As for any original characters that may show up, any resemblance they may have to others is highly likely coincidental. If not and they happen to reference some other character or fandom on purpose or by accident, I don't own that either! (Also don't own the summary quote, which is from _InuYasha_.)

**Other Notes**: Chapter One is actually more of a prologue, now that I think about it. But I'm too lazy to go back and change that. Besides, it always bugs me whenever I go to a chapter directory and can't designate something as, like, Chapter Zero or even just an interlude or something. I like the numbers to match, haha._**  
**_

This story is also being posted to my _Fire Emblem_ tumblr, **high-deliverer-eve**. If you see it being posted anywhere else, it isn't me!

* * *

_**The Wings of Goodbye**_

**Chapter Two  
**

* * *

Years passed.

Life on the road with just Reverie and her mother (and Ilyas, of course) was exciting. Reverie knew enough to understand that it was very serious and that her mother was always on the lookout for something that kept them on the move, but even then she could not deny the thrill her nomadic life gave her. She could scarcely remember her time with the grim-people her mother spoke about from time to time, but what she could recall was always boring. She had never done anything there but stick to her mother's side because her mother was always warning her about the grim-people. They were bad.

"Well," said Judith one day as they were walking and not flying on Ilyas's back, "perhaps not all bad. Some of them are actually rather… pleasant. What they ultimately want is bad, however."

Reverie only blinked up at her mother. "So are they bad people or good people?"

Judith sighed and reached down to ruffle her hair. Reverie liked it when she did that. "You'll understand it better when you're older, but for now we'll just call them bad people."

That was a year ago, and Reverie still did not understand her mother's words so she decided she should wait another year or so before bringing it up again. Now, though, Reverie was five and, according to her mother, old enough to begin learning how to fight. Before, whenever they chanced upon brigands and other ne'er-do-wells while grounded, Judith would always send Reverie away. This was often on Ilyas's back, so they could fly far out of range while Judith engaged in battle on foot. Sometimes, however, Judith would need Ilyas and would run far enough to hide Reverie away in the woods somewhere before charging back at the enemy. It was always a risk to do so and Judith hated it when they did because otherwise Reverie was helpless.

While they would certainly start slow, as Judith emphasized when she brought the subject up, and she would not be able to join in fighting for a long while, Judith would feel more at ease knowing that Reverie had at least _some _training in combat. Reverie was eager to learn as well, having caught glimpses of her mother fighting. It was dangerous and thrilling and all around everything the little girl could dream of.

She told her mother so.

Judith only smiled—Reverie thought she looked rather sad, which confused her—and ruffled her hair. "I wish I could give you other things to dream about than fighting."

After fixing her hair (which was getting longer that she refused to allow cut), Reverie looked up at her mother who had returned her attention to their current flight path. "It's okay, Mama," she said, patting Judith's hand where it gripped Ilyas's reins. "I want to fight."

* * *

It was after Reverie turned six that Judith began explaining more about the grim-people ("Grim_leal_," she corrected) and why they were running from them. Though Reverie did not understand the finer points, she heard enough to know that they wanted her, specifically, so that they could make her bad. And if Reverie let them turn her bad, Judith said, _very bad things_ would happen to the world.

"…So you must learn to be very careful of whom you speak to," her mother explained as they rested from the day's training. "Especially while we are in Plegia. Many Plegians are Grimleal, but not all of them are aware of the inner workings. Even so, information travels very fast so caution is necessary."

"What should I do, then?" Reverie asked, troubled. Did this mean she had to stop talking with people? She rarely got to speak with anyone already…

Judith was silent for a moment. Then, "I believe it would be best if we thought up a different identity for you to go by. The Grimleal know you as 'Reverie', true, but they only know your features as a very young child. Your appearance will change as you grow older—perhaps even enough so that they won't recognize you easily. If you had another name to give, it could help in fooling them."

Reverie considered, weighing the idea in her mind as Judith often coached her to do for big decisions. "So I have to stop being Reverie?"

"Not stop," Judith said. "You can just think of it as a nickname. 'Reverie' will be a name you only give to the people you trust the most—your closest friends."

The concept of "friends" was foreign to Reverie, and she paused in her decision-making to marvel at the word and the images it brought forth. A life of traveling the Plegian (and occasionally Feroxian or even Ylissean) countryside made making and keeping friendships hard. She never knew when or if they would visit a village or town again, even if one of her mother's growing list of "contacts" was in the area. Granted, they never stayed long enough for Reverie to ever get a true grasp of what friendship even was, so it was not like she knew what she was missing out on. She liked to think of it being the same as never knowing her father. She knew he was there and that he existed (and was apparently a bad guy as part of the Grimleal), but, having had little interaction with him, she could not find it in herself to miss him.

Judith seemed to find it strange whenever Reverie tried to explain this to her, but tended to shrug it off as one of her quirks.

"So?" Judith's voice brought Reverie out of her thoughts and back to the present. "Do you think you could do it?"

Unable to think of anything to say, Reverie only nodded.

"Good. Now then! Next, we need to think up your new name. Nothing complicated, but nothing too similar to your real name," Judith said, looking her daughter over carefully. "It should also be something you can get used to easily, and would actually _like_ to be called…"

Silence swept over them in the small forest clearing where they'd made their stop, broken only by the occasional movement of Ilyas as he groomed his wings. Reverie thought back to all the stories her mother would tell her at night when she had trouble sleeping, trying to conjure up a name from one of the characters she could remember. There were many, as her mother seemed to recall tales of war fought by armies in the distant past, but there were also a few myths and fairy tales that Reverie enjoyed hearing.

A name shot out at her. She turned to her mother. "Maybe 'Eve'?"

Judith seemed to think for a moment, her brows furrowing over her eyes. "…As in the paladin?" she asked, recalling an obscure, barely mentioned figure from one such story told to her daughter over the years.

Reverie shook her head. "Like the myth."

Her mother hummed. "It's a nice name, I'll admit. Do you like it? Remember, you'll be called this from now on—we shouldn't have to change it later on because that will look suspicious. Especially if we happen to visit the same places."

She hesitated for a moment, but finally nodded again.

Judith eyed her as if to determine whether or not she was being truthful. Eventually she nodded in return. "All right. Eve, it is." She blinked as a thought occurred to her, and she smiled. "If I remember correctly, Eve means 'living'… Yes, I think that will be a great name for you. Prove to the man that sired you that you are no vessel meant to die for one group's selfish goals." She reached out to tuck a strand of silver-blue hair behind Reverie's ear before smoothing her hand down her cheek. "Prove to all of them that you are more than the unfortunate name I gave you—that you will not disappear like a fleeting dream or thought, but _live_, truly and vibrantly."

"Yes, Ma—Mother," the newly dubbed "Eve" replied, as solemnly as a six-year-old could. "I will."

_I will live._

* * *

Time continued marching ever onward as the mother-daughter duo trekked all over the continent. They weathered through all kinds of terrain, finding shelter when they could and sleeping beneath the stars when it was safe and no other option was available to them. In towns, Judith would go about interacting with the townspeople, haggling prices in the markets for their supplies, while Eve acquainted herself with the different places or trained on her own on the outskirts. Occasionally, Judith would establish a "contact", which she explained later to a curious Eve was meant to monitor any movements of the Grimleal.

The group rarely moved from Plegia if they did not have to, but it was better to be safe than sorry. Validar was nothing if not a tenacious and malevolent man. He enjoyed striking when it was least expected, so she liked to have as good a grasp on his movements as she could. While this meant going back to certain villages and towns time and again to check up on said contacts, Judith felt that any information gained was worth it. She would simply have to time their visits with busy times of the year, crossing paths and tagging along with merchant caravans to reduce attention and suspicion.

It was with one such caravan that brought Judith and Eve back into Plegia, stopping by numerous towns and villages until they reached the destination they'd been aiming for. The merchants that had picked them up by the roadside were quite generous in their hospitality, which they jokingly said was due to Judith's own abilities in fighting off brigands and protecting their wares.

"Our own boys are talented, sure, but nothin' beats a trained soldier," said one merchant, whom Eve thought was the leader of the caravan. He had a nice laugh, deep from the belly, and shared much information with her about the tricks of the trade of being a merchant. "Doesn't hurt that you ladies are nice company. My wife's always complaining about things being too monotonous on the road. Shame you'll be stopping at the next town, though."

When they reached said town, Judith and Eve said their goodbyes to the merchant friends they'd made before heading off, into and passed the outskirts until they reached a small wood. Although a town with one of her comrades, it was also a town where the more fanatical members of the Grimleal tended to lurk. To allow Eve to walk around when there was a chance one of those members worked for Validar when Eve was born was a risk. Loathe as she was to leave her daughter in the forest where all manners of creatures and people would be around, she had to admit that Eve was well-accustomed to surviving in the wild. She had a sharp mind, too, all but disappearing if she wished to avoid unsavory people and using the terrain to her advantage in encounters she could not avoid.

"All right, Eve, remember not to stray too far in or out," Judith said, accompanied by a customary deep sigh. Unlike during their travels, her outfit consisted of the dark and gold silks of the standard sorceress garb, complete with headgear to provide protection from the hot Plegian sun. It was an outfit she'd packed long ago during their initial escape from the Grimleal, on the off-chance that she would need to blend in with her fellow Plegians. Falcon knights were not exactly common in Plegia, after all, where wyverns were the more populous aerial breed. "If you run into trouble, you know what to do, right?"

Eve's eyebrows furrowed over her green eyes, mouth tugging into a frown. Had she been any other child or perhaps more in tune with her emotions, Judith supposed, she would have been making quite the face. "Do I _have_ to…?"

Judith gently tilted Eve's head up, forcing her daughter to look her in the eyes. "You're still not ready for a head-on fight, Eve, but your magic is extraordinary." Most likely inherited from her father, was what was left unsaid. "And you _will_ use every advantage you have to stay safe. Even if it means using dark magic."

"I hate dark magic…" Eve muttered. Her frown lessened, however, when her mother kissed her forehead.

"I know. I don't like it either," Judith admitted. "But you are what you are, and I won't have you rejecting that part of you when it can mean the difference between life or death. Understood?"

"Yes, Mother."

"Good. Now, I'll be off!" Judith stood, hands reaching up to ensure her hood was on correctly. "I should be back by late afternoon, but your pack has enough food to last until later if need be. You have your money pouch?"

Eve reached down and patted her pockets before reaching into one to produce said pouch.

Judith nodded. "All right. Keep that on you in case you have to abandon the pack. Keep your knife, too, to hunt—I think I put that in there somewhere. Anyways, I'll be going. Be good!"

Checklist finished, Eve watched as Judith made her way back out of the woods and towards the town, looking away only when she became little more than a vague figure in the distance. With a little sigh of her own, she turned to the forest behind her and listened, wondering what she should do next.

She could try training, sure, but she never did as well on her own because there was no one to tell her what or if she was doing anything wrong. Play-pretend got old quickly, especially since the most she could ever come up with were different scenarios against bandits and brigands, pulled from her early memories to apply what she knew now into them. Her mother always seemed exasperated when she heard of this, wondering aloud why Eve would think of those things to play as and not something more peaceful, like imagining she were a village girl or something. Eve would try to do so for a while, but would almost always inevitably end up enlisting herself in some army to become a soldier and fight brigands anyways.

Remembering what her mother said about the knife, Eve pulled off her back to fish around for the weapon, securing it to the belt on her waist. Once it was firmly attached and ready to wield in a moment's notice, she stared at the open top of her bag and wondered if she should just spend the day reading again. The books that she and her mother carried were few to keep space for more important supplies, but she'd always made sure to keep a couple around to study when she was bored or forbidden from training.

It was as Eve was reaching in to pull out the text on ancient history that she felt a foreign presence nearby. She tensed, straining her ears as her mind swiftly picked apart the sounds of the forest. The sounds of birds amongst the trees. The sparse winds blowing through the leaves. The tiny, barely there scratching sounds as a squirrel ran up a tree trunk—

Footsteps.

Soft and light, but becoming ever so slightly louder as they got closer.

Her head snapped up, eyes fixed into a focused glare and hands out of her bag and on the hilt of the dagger on her waist.

A young boy stood across from her, foot extended as if to step out from around the tree he was partly behind but frozen in the air.

Surprised, Eve stood straight, but did not let go of the hilt of her knife. She took a step back, leaving her bag where it was in case that was what he wanted, and eyed him warily.

He looked to be about her age or perhaps just slightly younger with pale skin and stark white, somewhat messy, hair. His clothes looked to be in bad shape, frayed and somewhat tattered at the edges with dirt smudges here and there against the pieces that weren't black, and even his boots looked close to falling apart. Strangely, his eyes were closed and yet she could just feel his gaze on her.

A growling sound brought her out of her observing, however. Not the growling of a hungry stomach, as she half expected, but a low warning growl of a predator.

Eve sucked in a breath when the creature emitting the sound stepped out from behind the boy—a large, beautiful wolf that looked every bit as graceful as it was deadly. It stepped in front of the boy as if to protect him and for several long seconds the three merely stared at one another, frozen.

And then the boy smiled. And laughed.

"You should probably let go of that thing or she'll keep thinking of you as a threat," he said.

For a moment, Eve wondered what he meant. Then he lifted a hand to point at her waist and, understanding, released her hold on the knife. When the wolf did not stop growling, she slowly lifted her hands in the air and looked to the boy as if to ask what she should do.

His smile widened and he reached down to pet his companion, whose hackles slowly fell as her growling quieted. "See?"

Eve did not, as the wolf was still regarding her warily, but she kept quiet regardless.

The boy laughed again. "Not that that little thing would've done you any good. I'm _really_ good at magic, see, and if I wanted to, I could hex you without a word! Just like…"

A feeling like a spark in the air made itself known to Eve a split second before it rushed at her—the telltale sign of magic. Even more, dark magic. Eve tensed, just barely, as her body reacted to the threat posed to her. She felt her own magic swell up inside her and snap out in return, deflecting the curse before it could reach her.

"…that?" the boy finished, confused. Or, more accurately, stunned. His eyes opened. They were gray.

Eve let out a breath she hadn't known she'd been holding.

Only to gasp when the boy smiled even wider than before and all but scampered over to her, his wolf companion close at his heels. "That was awesome! I've never met someone who could do that before! You're like me, huh!?"

"Um," was all she could say in the face of his enthusiasm.

"My name's Henry and this is Wolfie! I kinda live in the town there, but my parents dropped me off here and this is where Wolfie lives so I like it better here! Nobody bothers me and stuff and I can always sneak magic tomes here to learn how to do it better than in town and anyways what's your name?"

By that point, he had become so close that all Eve could really see was his face and just barely, for her eyes were all but glued to his. Gently, she pushed him away from her so she could breathe and absorb his words properly, staring at him oddly as he waited expectantly for her reply.

Sighing, she said, "I'm Eve." Then, as her mind caught up with his words, she asked, "You live here?"

Henry nodded cheerfully. "Yep! More or less! Not a lot of people come here, which is nice. S'also why I snuck up on you! Was that your mom that left you here?"

Eve tilted her head to the side. "Kind of. She has something to do in the town."

The boy hummed, and it was at that point that Eve rather belatedly realized that the wolf was calm beside him now, peering up at her with large, curious eyes. "Well, whatever! You're interesting, so you can come with me and Wolfie. We know these woods _really_ well and we can do all kinds of stuff!" Without waiting for a reply, he spun around and marched off. "C'mon!"

It was against her better judgment, admittedly, to follow the rather feral boy and his wolf friend, especially after he blatantly tried to hex her without a shred of remorse. But whether she realized it or not, Eve was very starved for human attention outside of her mother's—even more, for children her own age. And so, taking time only to pick up her pack, Eve followed after Henry and wondered just what he did in this forest outside of teaching himself how to curse others.

"You know, I really like your little hair ribbon. Red's my favorite color!"

Oddly, she had the distinct feeling that he was a little like herself.

* * *

Eve ended up staying with Henry for the rest of the day, tagging along with the odd duo from what felt like one end of the forest to the other. According to Henry it wasn't a very large forest, so her mother could find her easily when or if she came back. And truly, even to their small bodies it was simple and did not take much time to wander from one area to the next.

As she suspected, Henry was not very well-versed in playing with another child, preferring to stay alone in the forest with Wolfie than go into the town to try and play with the other children there. So it was certainly an odd day in which they shot ideas back and forth on what to do that did not involve physically or magically harming one another. Eventually, they managed to come up with a few games for them both to enjoy, running through the trees with Wolfie at their heels as they fought imaginary opponents and seized victory in their private forest kingdom.

"Nyahaha!" Henry had an odd laugh, but Eve took comfort in its strangeness. "That was fun! I like fighting!"

"Me, too," she replied.

They had stopped to rest in a small clearing, flopping onto the ground with little care as they regained their breath. Henry rolled over on his spot, gray eyes shut once again as he grinned widely. Or perhaps it was the grin that made his eyes squint and only appear to be closed. Eve could not tell.

"You're really good at it. I don't know any of those moves—just magic. And you come up with really wild plans! Are you gonna be in the army when you grow up?"

Eve turned her head briefly to glance at him, but turned away when his eyes opened when she did not reply right away. "…No."

He made a disappointed sound. "You'd be really good at it!" he said, but did not press the subject further.

She was grateful.

* * *

The rest of the day was spent like that, playing when they wished and resting when they wanted. Eve shared the food her mother packed with Henry, who exclaimed over it and stuffed his face with the bits she told him were very good. Wolfie would come and go during this time, seemingly content to leave them together to hunt or whatever it was wolves do. Henry did not seem worried whenever she left, so Eve did not question it.

It was late afternoon when the trio finally stopped playing and running around, coming to a stop in another clearing that Henry boasted as the most comfortable spot to rest in the entire forest. It went against her instincts to simply lie down and sleep, but Henry only dragged her over and reassured her that everything would be okay. Even Wolfie seemed to make comforting rumbles in her chest, as if to tell her that they would be safe.

Tired, but pleasantly so, and lured into the comforting sunlight filtered through the trees, Eve eventually succumbed and fell asleep.

* * *

When she woke up, it was early evening and Wolfie was growling low in her throat.

Alarmed, Eve searched their surroundings for threats only to start when she saw her mother crouched some several feet away, posture relaxed and expression neutral. "Mother."

Judith inclined her head, though her eyes flicked to the wolf lying near her. "Eve. It's time to go."

It was strange, but for the first time Eve felt tendrils of disappointment lace through her at her mother's words. She looked to Henry, who was still sleeping beside her, and then to Wolfie, who had quieted and was now staring at her with a patient gaze that seemed to mirror her mother's.

She lowered her head. "…Okay."

Eve heard her mother stand and begin to make her way out of the clearing, most likely to allow her the time and privacy to say goodbye. But Eve did not want to say goodbye, so she motioned for Wolfie to keep quiet as she untied the ribbon holding up her hair. Once it was undone, she carefully tied it around one of Henry's wrists before standing and gathering her pack.

"Thank you, Henry. Wolfie," she said before jogging after her mother.

When she glanced back, Wolfie had lowered her head to curl around Henry, filling the empty space that Eve had occupied.

"You're not going to complain?" her mother asked when Eve faced forward again, having lost sight of the two through the trees.

Eve shook her head. "No. We're traveling for my safety, so I shouldn't." She managed to send her mother a small smile. "Today was enough."

Judith chuckled, low and sad, as she reached over to pat Eve's head. "You need to stop reading those history books. They're making you grow up too fast." She sighed. "But I suppose that's a good thing, in a way. If you can make mature decisions like that, I can rest a little easier. Now, come on. I want to get out of this outfit. It reminds me of your father."


	3. Learning to Fly

**Disclaimer**: I do not own _Fire Emblem Awakening_ nor any of the canon characters from there. As for any original characters that may show up, any resemblance they may have to others is highly likely coincidental. If not and they happen to reference some other character or fandom on purpose or by accident, I don't own that either! (Also don't own the summary quote, which is from _InuYasha_.)

**Other Notes**: This story is also being posted to my _Fire Emblem_ tumblr, **high-deliverer-eve**. If you see it being posted anywhere else, it isn't me!

Also, I'm glad there are people who are enjoying reading this—or so it seems. I'm writing this for fun, but it's good to see that others like it, too! Besides that, apologies for any roughness you see in the writing here or typos and the like. I go over these as best as I can, but I do miss things. If there are any really confusing pieces at any time in this story, don't be afraid to point them out so I can explain them better._**  
**_

* * *

_**The Wings of Goodbye**_

**Chapter Three  
**

* * *

Eve was nearing her eighth birthday when she declared that she would become a pegasus knight just like her mother.

Amused, Judith paused in the middle of grooming Ilyas to quirk her eyebrow at her. "Really? You don't want to become something else? You don't _have_ to follow in my footsteps, you know. Or anyone else's for that matter."

Eve shook her head, nearly dislodging her silver-blue hair out of its bun. "I want to be a pegasus knight, maybe even a falcon knight, like you."

"Stubborn child," Judith said, but she laughed. She resumed brushing Ilyas's coat when he nudged her with his nose. "All right. If you're still sure by the time we reach the next town, we'll search for a place to properly train you. If we're lucky, I might be able to get you lessons with other pegasi so you don't depend on knowing Ilyas for your riding."

Eve nodded, walking up to pet Ilyas between his eyes. "Maybe one day I'll have my own pegasus, too," she said. She brought her head forward to nuzzle him, all but hugging his large head. "If I do, I hope we get to be as close as you guys."

When she pulled back, her mother was smiling warmly at her. A rare sight for their lives on the run, but a look that Eve had always wished to be able to copy and produce in vain. "I'm sure you will." Then, she chuckled, ruffling Ilyas's mane. "Just don't get _too_ close or you'll make ol' Ilyas here jealous!"

"Ilyas is understanding and wise. He knows he'll always have a special place in my heart," Eve declared. "Don't you, boy?"

And just as she always tried to get him to do since childhood, Ilyas's head bobbed as if he were agreeing. Eve hid a giggle in his neck while Judith laughed outright.

* * *

Searching for a proper place to train Eve in the ways of the pegasus knight brought the mother-daughter duo (plus pegasus) to the temperate lands of Ylisse. Judith herself had been taught by a tutor who hailed from Ylisstol who had settled in Plegia for some reason or another. Such people were rare, however, and less and less of such foreigners were coming around as the tension between the two kingdoms grew. It was easy to see with their travels that many Ylisseans were wary of the barbaric Plegians they were told about, while Plegians muttered bitterly about the snobbish and privileged Ylisseans that hid behind a veil of peace.

When they approached an outpost dedicated to training new pegasus knight recruits, it took a good long while for Judith to convince them to hear her out. It took even longer for them to agree to allow Eve to be trained, caving only when Judith displayed her abilities against their best and vowed to help teach their recruits alongside her daughter.

The deal made, Judith and Eve settled into the town with some unease. Having lived on the road made them wary of staying in any given area for longer than a week, but they were deep in the heart of Ylisse. The Grimleal could not follow them easily there—especially not without sending a ripple of warning far ahead of time. Validar's assassins were another story, but Judith could take care of _them_ before they could even think about returning with a report on their whereabouts.

It made her want to laugh, really. For even after all these years, her husband was still rather predictable.

* * *

Years followed their pseudo-settling in the town to train with the pegasus knight recruits. They were turbulent years, full of close calls that kept Judith on the edge of outright paranoia. She sent word out to her contacts to spread rumors of sightings of herself and Eve to send the Grimleal on a wild goose chase, but there were always a few sent out to where they were last officially seen.

One particularly fanatical Grimleal who'd gotten the better of Judith had nearly gotten away, too, had it not been for Eve's quick thinking. And acting skills.

"I wish to remain here," she had said in a firm tone, emulating Judith's voice when she gave a lesson that could mean life or death to her listeners. "And I do not wish for the others to know. Their presence will disturb me, and I wish to focus and become stronger for L… _Lord _Grima." She had stumbled slightly, forcing herself to assign respect to the fell dragon, but the man had not seemed to notice.

"But milady," he had protested, "We must know where you are in order to protect you!"

"This one here has my trust for that. She has been my… loyal servant for years. Now, go. And tell no one of our location or status. Not even my lord father." Because he would not dare raise a hand against her, she had allowed herself to threaten him, gathering up the magic swirling about in her body and letting it rise up to spark in the air around them. It was mostly a bluff—showmanship, really—full of eerie whispers meant to inspire fear or, in the assassin's case, awe. "Or do you mean to question my judgment, knave? Lord Grima's instincts within me have always been impeccable, but if you _insist_…"

Needless to say, the man had fled rather quickly at that, vowing to keep their location a secret he would take to the grave if necessary. Judith kept quiet as he made his proclamations, not believing him one bit, but did not dare to speak up in the case that he truly believed in Eve's words. If she gave him any reason to believe she was not the "servant" Eve claimed her to be, he could go right back to reporting their whereabouts directly to Validar.

It was a tense few weeks after his departure, but the sightings of the Grimleal dwindled and Judith's spies reported that they had lost their lead. Even more, word got out that it was Ylissean brigands defending their territory that did not take kindly to Plegians rooting around their land. It was highly convincing, since the war between both was still fresh on either kingdom's minds, and the bitterness and tension was still high. Regardless, though grateful for their luck and the assassin's silence, Judith upped Eve's training regimen, hoping to leave the town as soon as they could.

Thankfully, years of living with Ilyas and flying on his back gave Eve a natural inclination towards the winged beasts. She could certainly understand them better than she could her fellow humans, communicating with them easily through touch and observation. Judith supposed it was because animals were straightforward in their emotions, exuding it through body language in ways humans could only dream of matching. Eve was attuned to that silence; living on the road with only her mother and Ilyas for company made her used to speaking with her gestures rather than her words, as was the way of humans.

It was a fault of Judith's that she had failed to correct with her daughter, she knew and understood that. While she was much the same, preferring the company of Ilyas to other people, she at least had courtly training from the years of preparation to become Validar's wife. While she and everyone else in the inner circle knew her to be simply for breeding the fellblood, it would not done for the matriarch of the Grimleal to be uncivilized and unable to socialize properly with the nobility and other elite, after all.

If she were being entirely honest, Judith could admit to withholding similar lessons from Eve out of spite. However, she was not one to refrain from teaching her daughter things that could help her out of petty emotions. But she was also not someone who did things by halves, and so she made a choice between what was more important for her daughter to know. While proper etiquette was good depending on the situation, what Eve was learning now was much more important. The instincts and ability to read others based on body language and aura alone could mean the difference between life and death on the battlefield. And Judith was determined to give Eve every advantage she could in the fight for her life.

Besides, if her performance with the assassin earlier were any indication, some of the books Eve read must have been some form of historic drama. Judith certainly never taught her how to speak in such a way. She pulled off the haughty noble role quite well, actually.

(In later musings, Judith would wonder if that last bit were something to be proud of. But it was something that helped ensure their safety, so she gave it a pass. Barely.)

* * *

Training to become a pegasus knight was fairly intensive, as any mounted unit would be. The first thing any individual did to become a pegasus knight was, quite obviously, learn to ride a pegasus.

While easy in theory, especially to Eve who had spent her life around one, becoming a proper rider was more complicated than it seemed. Anyone could ride, after all. It was riding _well_ that was the problem. When Eve took the time to ask her mother the difference during their lessons, Judith explained that Ilyas was a trained pegasus so of course he would be easy to ride. He was also a war pegasus, so he had to be receptive to the orders of his rider at any given moment, regardless of who it was, and carry them out lest it mean both their deaths.

Learning to ride and work with other pegasi and developing an independent seat regardless of the mount was the goal that pegasus knights were first meant to reach. Of course, they did not have to be the best at it, but in order to survive the course of fighting on the back of a pegasus meant they had to have a good level of stability and control.

Eve, due to her small and light stature, had some difficulties with this at first, but gradually became used to it. It helped that she was still growing fast at her age, to the point that her body was quickly catching up with her mind. Her mother and father were fairly tall at any rate, so it was natural that Eve was tall for her age. And, with her mother's diligent teachings and tips from other knights overlooking the recruits, she was able to become a fairly competent rider in just over two years at the age of ten.

"Don't pay attention to others and whether you're better or worse than them," her mother instructed when she caught Eve staring at the other knights as they continuously took off and landed in the training field. "Everyone has different learning speeds when it comes to riding. There are children younger than you who are more talented and will become better riders in half the time as you given the chance. It's just like there are older knights who are at your same level even with more years and experience of riding." Judith reached up to flick Eve's forehead. "It's good to keep in mind, but don't get caught up in thinking about it or you'll never grow."

The more complicated parts of the training began from there, in which Eve learned to, first, wield a lance while in flight (substituted with a blunt wooden pole at first, of course) without throwing herself off or dropping it. After her balance returned, Judith and the other trainers would run her through different flight maneuvers to perform in battle. It was a dizzying affair: dropping from the air to touch down and strike an enemy and launch back up the next moment; evading enemy arrows while aiming a javelin using only her legs to guide her mount; learning the signs of a wind spell and dodging accordingly, hoping any side effects wouldn't knock her off…

If Eve had not had any true respect for the pegasus knights and the training they went through to master such aerial combat, she certainly did now. Three years would teach one that, and at age thirteen Eve was certain that she could pick out just about all of the hardships her mother endured to be able to fight while on Ilyas's back—and so well, too.

Speaking of her mother…

"Eve, meet me at the town square after you've had your dinner," Judith said when she approached after being called during training. "There's someone I'd like you to meet."

Curious, but unwilling to let it distract her, Eve resumed her training for the day and only thought about it again when they were called in. It would not be the first time that Judith called someone over to meet her. She said it was a way for people to get to know Eve as a person, rather than only hearing about her and her role as the vessel. Though Eve was rather bemused most of the time by such meetings, Judith solemnly told her about how even she had spent a good amount of time believing Eve to be nothing but Grima in human form, just waiting to be awakened, before realizing that she was a child like any other. She wanted others to know that as well, so that they thought twice before even thinking about betraying them to the Grimleal.

It was effective, but heartbreakingly cruel in a way. Eve told her mother so, but Judith said only that she would give as many sadistic choices as it took to keep her safe.

With a sigh, Eve ate her dinner and left in search of her mother in the evening light. She found her quickly, as the town streets were beginning to empty as people returned to their homes, and Judith led her around until they reached what appeared to be a large stable.

"A horse breeder lives here," Judith explained. "And he conducts his business in his store—that building there." She pointed it out to Eve, who looked. "A while ago, I went here hoping to find out if he had any contacts with pegasi breeders."

At this, Eve's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Why not just ask the stable master for the pegasus knights?"

Her mother smiled. "Because while their pegasi are indeed well-bred, I am searching for a different breed of pegasi. A rarer kind, you could say. They aren't used as often, but they are known for their unique adaptability to magic."

They stopped at the stable entrance, walking in only when Judith lifted a hand to alert someone working there that they were coming in. He seemed to have been expecting them, though, and did not bother them once Judith led Eve inside. They walked through the center aisle, passed numerous stalls before finally stopping before one.

"Here he is!" Judith presented, rather redundantly for Eve was already staring.

It was a young male pegasus, that much was certain from Judith's proud proclamation. What stunned Eve was the fact that his coat was not the white color she was accustomed to pegasi having but rather black. In fact, the color of his hair reminded Eve much of a raven in its deep coloration. She stepped closer, still staring intently at the pegasus. He looked back at her, ears forward. His eyes were blue.

"This darker breed could be seen as something of a mutation," Judith said as Eve and the pegasus engaged in a staring contest. "While most pegasi aren't too good with magic-users riding them since the feeling of magic in the air so close by makes them skittish, these types stay pretty calm. I don't see them around _too_ often since it's more traditional to go the usual pegasus knight route, but they're gaining popularity." When neither seemed to pay attention to her, she chuckled. "Why don't you go inside and greet him properly? You're going to be partners from now on—it's best to do things right."

Eve started, snapping out of the staring contest to look at her mother. "He's mine?"

"More or less," Judith replied. Her eyes slid to the dark pegasus. "So do you need an invitation or…?"

Eve shook her head and turned back to the pegasus—_her_ pegasus—before taking a breath and approaching his stall calmly and surely. He watched her carefully as she did, giving no sign that she should back away. Taking that as encouragement, she entered his stall.

When she lifted a hand and patted his face, he bumped his nose against her palm.

She smiled and, not taking her eyes off of him, said, "I think I'll call you 'Kyanos'. For your blue eyes."

Leaning against the stall's door, Judith snorted. "They look like more of a pale blue than cyan to me."

"It's okay. I think it suits him anyways."

The pegasus made a sound in his throat and bumped his nose to Eve's hand again.

She liked to think that was his way of agreeing.

* * *

Training with Kyanos ended up taking another year and a half or so for the two to get used to one another and teach him more beyond the basic training he had already had. The more complicated flight maneuvers they could learn when they returned to traveling, but basic attacks and charges were all that was needed for now.

True to Judith's words, however, they found that Kyanos was completely undisturbed when Eve would cast magic from his back—something that made even Ilyas antsy. It was certainly a _process_ trying to find a way for her to attack properly, having learned to fight with a lance and with no basis on using a tome in the air even from the other pegasus knights. But she made it work somehow after months of trial and error. While she could not boast doing it perfectly, she could at least hit the targets she aimed for and still manage to keep the book in hand and herself on Kyanos's back.

Judith only told her to continue practicing and to keep a lance around to fight with until she could wield her tomes just as effortlessly in combat. Eve agreed and, after several more weeks of practicing with Kyanos—just to be safe—they bid the pegasus knights and the town that sheltered them a fond farewell. To her embarrassment, several of Judith's students, new and old, cried when they left. Both out of relief of losing one of their strictest teachers and sorrow that she was going away.

"They love you a lot," Eve said, observing the lingering group over her shoulder as they rode away.

Her mother snorted. "They're crying for you, too, you know."

Eve turned, blinking.

Huffing, Judith said, "Oh, don't look so surprised." And, despite Eve's inability to properly show her emotions, Judith _could_ read her expressions and made it a point to tell her so often. "Maybe you didn't realize it, but you _were_ friends with a few of them. Honestly, child…"

Eve once again turned, straining her neck as she looked to the figures growing ever smaller in the distance. "…That's strange."

"You'll learn," said her mother. "One day, we won't have to travel like this and you'll learn how to make friends with other people, and bond with them properly. A person can't live without such ties."

"'Ties'?"

"Yes. Invisible ties that link people together." Judith gestured back to the group with a tilt of her head. "You made some with a few of them, and it helped you to grow, didn't it? You bonded over your shared trials and grew alongside them. Always remember that becoming close with others is not a weakness, Reverie."

The use of her true name made her start, and Eve nodded slowly as she strove to absorb her mother's words.

"Someday, those bonds will be your strength even when the world seems like it's falling to pieces." Judith's voice was distant and she stared, unseeing, at something in the space in front of her.

Eve was quiet as she became lost in her own thoughts. Though she processed her mother's words clearly and committed them to memory, she found that she could not understand it. To her, "friendship" was still a rather foreign term. Finding out now that she had made friends without knowing it was a pleasant one, like executing a complicated move perfectly for the first time. But it was also of little use, as she only knew it after the fact. How was she to truly understand what it meant to have friends when she had no time to take it in? They'd been comrades, yes, and she treated them as such. Being a friend, and treating another as a friend, would be different, would it not?

Both mother and daughter sighed. Then, realizing they'd done so at the same time, laughed or, in Eve's case, smiled.

She would find out later, as her mother suggested she would. She was sure of it.


	4. Odd Friendship

**Disclaimer**: I do not own _Fire Emblem Awakening_ nor any of the canon characters from there. As for any original characters that may show up, any resemblance they may have to others is highly likely coincidental. If not and they happen to reference some other character or fandom on purpose or by accident, I don't own that either! (Also don't own the summary quote, which is from _InuYasha_.)

**Other Notes**: This story is also being posted to my _Fire Emblem_ tumblr, **high-deliverer-eve**. If you see it being posted anywhere else, it isn't me!

Also, I love writing for Henry, but I don't know how well I keep him in character, especially before his complete training and loss of sanity and obsession with blood and macabre, but I hope I don't kill it too badly. I'm trying to aim for the happy medium in which he is that off-kilter guy we all know and love (or rather, becoming him), but not so much that it's unbelievable or overblown… does that make sense? _**  
**_

* * *

_**The Wings of Goodbye**_

**Chapter Four  
**

* * *

Eve was sixteen when she and her mother (and Ilyas and Kyanos) made another circuit through Plegia to get in contact with some of her harder to reach spies. She usually communicated with them through bird messages, but tensions were on another rise between Plegia and Ylisse. She could not risk for Plegian soldiers to begin scanning what messages were coming in, so they had to visit in person, which was no easy task as well. As two pegasus riders, they were looked on with scrutiny and no little derision. While they could leave Ilyas and Kyanos somewhere for a while and walk amongst the people in other clothes, they did not like to. Pegasi were valuable creatures, after all, and there was no telling if and when someone would want to take them and sell them off or worse.

So, braving the sometimes evil looks that they got, they wandered into town, separating part of the way so Judith could meet with her contact. She gave Eve the usual warnings to not draw attention to herself, which meant hiding her rather noticeable silver-blue hair (which was grown quite long now) much to her dismay. But she knew the risk was not worth it and so kept her helmet on over her carefully tied hair.

It was around high noon that Eve began wondering if she should simply leave town and wait for her mother in the wild, for it was stiflingly hot. Her head felt overheated and her tough uniform and armor kept in the heat, making her feel as if she were roasting alive. While she was rather used to the Plegian heat, even she could not bear it at times.

With a deep sigh, Eve only led Kyanos through the crowds, wandering the streets until she found a suitably deserted area. Said area turned out to be part of a residential district quite close to what appeared to be a large academy or institution. It was rather eerie, actually, and Eve skirted around the tall fences with Kyanos, trying to tell whether or not the Grimleal were in the area.

Eventually, she deemed it safe—her senses picked up a plethora of magically-inclined individuals, but none with the signature darkness that tainted Grima's most ardent followers. Sure, the vast majority of Plegians were Grimleal and pledged themselves to the faith, with some studying the art of dark magic, but not all of them were truly devoted to Grima. No, only the most passionate of his followers were the ones she truly had to watch out for and, after years of close encounters with them, she knew the feeling of their presences quite keenly.

She gave another sigh, this time in relief, as she pulled off her helmet, fanning herself as she settled in the shade of a tall building. Kyanos nickered beside her, lowering his head to nudge her shoulder.

"I don't know what you're laughing about," Eve said as she reached up to pat his neck. "You must be absolutely _baking_ with that dark coat of yours." He nudged her again and she huffed out a laugh as she kept up her petting. "Spoiled child. You're younger than I am, you know, so I've a right to say that."

Kyanos made another sound, but before Eve could respond a startlingly familiar laugh interrupted her.

"Nyaha! He's got a point, y'know!"

Startled, Eve scrambled up to her feet in a crouch, hand snapping back to grab the tome hooked to the belt on her waist behind her. Kyanos, in response to her quick moves, stepped forward, wings flaring out, ears pinned back and snorting in warning.

"Wow, you're still quick as ever, aren'tcha?" said the boy standing several feet off to the side. He was grinning despite the obvious threat, bent slightly to the side as he tried to get a better look at Eve from her spot behind Kyanos. He waved. "Hey there!"

She knew him. She remembered him because she swore that she wouldn't forget the first and only day she'd ever truly played as a child. The day when, other than receiving Kyanos, she had felt truly and wholly happy, with none of the worries that had been plaguing her for the entirety of her short life.

"…Henry," she murmured as she recalled his name. Then, more confidently, she asked, "You _are_ Henry… aren't you?"

"Yep!" he answered, cheery as ever. "Last time I checked I was, at least. Glad ya remember me, Eve! I thought you didn't for a second there since you looked like you wanted to _kill_ me!" There was a split second pause before he asked, "Do you?"

"Not really," she replied in a vague way that would have confused anyone else, but Henry only beamed sunnily in reply. "What are you doing here?"

"Funny, I was just about to ask _you_ that. 'cause I live here. In the academy there, I mean." He pointed to the side at the building Eve had been wandering around earlier in search of Grimleal. "I didn't have any classes right now so I was just about to head to the library to look up some dark magic when I felt _you_ here! So I left to search for you and here you are!"

Confused, Eve ventured, "You… _felt_ me?"

Henry nodded, and it was then that Eve noticed he was in the standard uniform of a mage-in-training. It was dark in color and he wore the typical cloak over it, making her wonder how he could stand the heat. Then again, mage robes were made of significantly lighter material in comparison to the leather and armor of other soldier classes. "Uh huh! It's like magic sense. Everyone has a magic signature, y'know? Not a lot of people can feel the differences to pick out individual people, but after practicing for a while I can."

"…Huh." Eve stored the information away, wondering if she would be able to do the same given enough time. "Wait, but why are you _here_? The town and forest I met you in… that's further south, isn't it? I thought you lived there, with Wolfie…?"

It was very slight, and his smiling expression never changed, but there was a shift in the air surrounding Henry the moment Eve mentioned his wolf companion. If she looked closely, she could see an odd crease around his eyebrows.

Feeling she'd overstepped her boundaries, she opened her mouth to retract her words.

Henry laughed, interrupting her. It was his same odd laugh, but she found she derived no warmth or comfort in it as she had before. "Ah, yeah. One day I was in the town and she came to visit me 'cause I was gone too long or something and the villagers all killed her. I got them back, but my parents decided to send me here to the academy because of it."

Dismay filled Eve as she remembered the beautiful forest wolf, her protectiveness over her charge, and her intelligent eyes. "She's dead…?"

"Yeah. It's a shame—she would have loved to see you again! She told me 'bout how you left and all and wanted to stick around in case you came back!" He was still smiling, talking cheerfully as if her death was nothing major.

Lost, Eve could only say, "I would have loved to see her again, too…"

He was still smiling, so what could she do? She did not know how to deal with others' grief, and calling him out on it did not seem fair. Everyone had secrets and hidden feelings. It would not be right of her to ask him to share his without giving anything in return. It would not be just.

Still…

"So you got revenge for her?"

Henry's head bobbed. "Of course!"

She managed a small smile. "Good." If someone had hurt or killed Kyanos or even her mother or Ilyas, she would have gotten vengeance in any way she could as well. She did not want to ask him about what he did, but she had a feeling it was not pretty. He was capable of advanced dark magic at a young age, after all.

"By the way, I've been wanting to ask for a while now, but is this guy yours?" Henry asked as he stepped closer, walking around Kyanos with some space between them to get a better look at the pegasus's face. "He wasn't around before."

"Oh. My apologies. I haven't introduced you yet, have I?" Eve tugged at Kyanos's reins to have him face Henry properly. "Henry, this is Kyanos. He's been my partner for about three years or so now. Kyanos, this is Henry. He is an old acquaintance."

The dark pegasus stared at the white-haired boy—if Eve thought about it, he looked maybe a year or two younger than herself, though that might have been due to his slight stature. The dark pegasus seemed distinctly unimpressed by the sunny smile Henry sported in return. He snorted, and then turned his head to seemingly preoccupy his attention with something more worthy.

"Nyahaha! I think he likes me!"

Wondering how he got to that conclusion, but unwilling to correct him, Eve nodded absently as she patted Kyanos's neck. "What have you been doing since you got here, then, Henry?"

"Hm? Well, nothin' really. The academy's pretty strict, but otherwise it's boring when I'm not learning more about magic." There was something in his tone that made Eve feel like he was deliberately leaving out information, but he continued on without giving her a chance to question it. "There's a _huuuuge_ library full of magic tomes, though! All the dark magic I could ever want to learn, all in one place! It's awesome!" Then, tilting his head to the side as he regarded Kyanos, he added, "Y'know, he kinda looks like a giant crow."

The comment was so random that Eve could not help but be derailed by it. "Really? I thought of a raven, actually."

"Nah, definitely crow."

Both teenagers stared at Kyanos then, contemplative. His tail swished in return, but otherwise paid them no attention.

A moment later, Eve started, wondering how he had so easily distracted her. "So that's all you've done here?"

Had his eyes been open, she got the feeling he would have blinked at her. "Well, yeah. It's a magic school! Studying and learning is kinda what you're _supposed _to do there."

"Ah…"

He snickered. "You're pretty weird, you know that?"

She didn't say it, but she felt vaguely insulted.

Content to move the conversation along, Henry hummed. "So what about you? You just up and disappeared! Wolfie said that your mom came to get you, which I can understand, but you could've at least said _something_ before you left, you know!"

Again, despite his cheery demeanor and playful tone, Eve got the feeling that he was not completely joking and was actually rather serious in his admonishment. She hung her head in a pseudo-bow. "I apologize. I had my reasons for doing so, but all the same it was not fair to you."

"Ya got that right! But that's okay. We got to meet again now, yeah?" He seemed so genuinely happy that she could not help but smile back at him. "Are you sticking around this time or…?"

Her head dropped again. She had never felt guilt at leaving an area before. Disappointment, yes, and that had been with Henry, too. But never guilt. "No… my mother and I will be traveling for a long while yet. We're only here for a day at most."

"Aw…" His smile disappeared as he pouted, but it quickly reappeared. "Well, okay! If that's the case we'll just have to do fun stuff today. Why don't I show you around town? I know a _ton_ of good spots to visit!"

Eve hesitated. She was not willing to go walking around in the heat, especially with her helmet on, but he seemed so eager to spend time together… "All right. But on one condition."

Henry perked up, curiosity evident in his attentive stance. He was all but bouncing on his feet as he waited.

"…Let me borrow your cloak?"

* * *

Though he had been perplexed by the request and later amused ("Are you trying to copy dark mages in a city of dark mages? Weird!"), Henry willingly pulled off his cloak and handed it over to her. He watched as she drew it over her own shoulders and pulled the hood up, his funny little smile never wavering even as he told her she looked odd with the fabric shadowing her face. She told him only that she did not like to be looked at by a lot of people—which was true, in a way. Even with experience of being with others during her pegasus knight training, she was distinctly uneasy on crowded streets. And in Plegia, there was at least one man who knew her face unless her father had killed him as her mother had silenced all the rest who crossed paths with them closely enough to see her.

Needless to say, she was still very paranoid at being recognized.

When his cloak was secure around her, hiding her face and hair neatly enough to escape a glance or two but not enough to generate suspicion, the two teenagers wandered back through the streets Eve had first gone through to plunge back into the market square. She made sure to follow him closely, which wasn't too much of a feat since his white hair was very noticeable in a veritable sea of dark cloaks, with Kyanos following suit even with a light hold on his reins. While she felt uncomfortable standing close to anyone that was not her mother, his familiarity made him somewhat safer than anyone else. That was not to say that she would not strike him down should he suddenly try to turn her in to the Grimleal, but still.

Thankfully, true to his word Henry only dragged her throughout the town's bazaar, stopping by numerous stalls and shops that struck his fancy. The majority were places related to magic as a result, but Eve did not mind. She was more magic-oriented herself, after all, though she wasn't formally trained as such.

"I think it's interesting," Henry declared when she told him so, after he asked if she was bored of visiting said magic shops.

"What's interesting?" she asked in return, looking up from her perusal of an elwind tome.

"I dunno, just you becoming a… what're you guys called again?"

Eve's eyes slanted to Kyanos, who was waiting patiently just outside the store and gathering many a look from passersby. "'Dark Flier', I believe the official term is…" She closed the tome and delicately placed it back on the shelf. "I'm still more of a pegasus knight than one of them, though. I can't use my magic really effectively in battle yet." Perhaps if she was staying still or simply gliding forward, but not with the more complicated flight patterns. She ended up relying on her lance more often than not.

"Still! Just having one of those guys must be _amazing_!" Unlike her, he closed the heavy arcfire tome he was holding with a loud slam. A curious expression took his face and he leaned towards her so suddenly that she nearly bent over backwards to keep from touching him. "By the way, is it true that only girls can become pegasus knights?"

Straightening herself as smoothly as she could, Eve thought. "…As far as I know, yes."

Henry groaned. "Aw, man! That's so unfair!"

"Why not consider wyvern riding? They're more readily available here in Plegia, anyway."

"But they don't like magic much…"

He continued to pout exaggeratedly, much to her amusement. "I suppose you're out of luck, then. But if you'd like, if we meet again maybe I can give you a ride on Kyanos sometime."

Even without his eyes open, she could tell he lit up at the suggestion with his overall bearing. He stood straighter and seemed to look at her with excitement. "Really?"

Something in her relaxed in the face of his innocent glee, and she found it in her to send him a small smile in return. "Sure."

And with that, he ran out of the store, arms thrown in the air, whooping. "I get to ride the oversized croooooow!"

Blinking at his sudden exit, Eve turned to the storeowner and bowed slightly in apology for his rowdiness before following after her wayward companion, sighing. "Raven."

* * *

They ended up having a late lunch near the town square, purchasing a small meal from one of the food stalls before poring over the flux tome that Henry bought at one of the shops. He had been disappointed that none of the other cheaper dark tomes were in stock, looking longingly over some of the more advanced kinds before settling. Eve found it quite funny to watch him fawn over the dark magic and accepted his offer to go through it with him despite her dislike of the practice.

"Y'know, I wonder if there's a magic that'll let me summon animals," Henry thought aloud between one page and the next.

Eve raised a brow. "Like what?"

"Crows!" She should have figured. "Wouldn't that be awesome? I bet it'd—" his head whipped towards her, grin especially mischievous, "—_caws_ quite a stir!"

There was a brief pause between them, but his smile never faded.

"…Henry."

If she did not know better, she would say he shifted to make his beaming smile more innocent. "Yes?"

She snorted, bumping his shoulder with her own. "Never mind. Turn the page. I finished reading."

"Already? Wow, you read fast!"

She shook her head, hiding her smile beneath the hood of his cloak.

_Never change_.

* * *

Late afternoon found them on top of a building, having climbed up the various steps and ladders set up along the walls. The height of the building gave them a great view of the town, and Henry took it upon himself to point out different places they had not been able to visit. She was amazed that he knew so much about the large town and told him so, which he explained was due to his occasionally going out with the other students when they had free time. He was naturally gifted at magic as well so he did not need to study as hard, but the teachers were very strict with their schedules.

"Should you be here then?" Eve asked. "You _did_ say that you just left when you felt me close by…"

"It's okay. I might receive a punishment if I'm caught, but there's nothing I haven't gotten before." There was something odd about the way he spoke so casually about it, and there was a stiffness in his shoulders even as he shrugged. Before she could think to ask, however, he turned back to her, smiling as always. "Besides, you're only here for a day, right?"

Troubled by his demeanor, she took a moment to answer. "Less, really."

He nodded. "Exactly. So I don't mind it. You were my very first friend so of course I'd rather be here than there!"

Friend.

She tilted her head. "We're friends?"

And for the first time since they met again, his eyes opened in surprise. They were as gray as she remembered. "Well… yeah!"

He was staring at her, and it felt different from being stared at by other people though she could not explain how. It made her uncomfortable, but she resisted the urge to shift. She supposed it was because his eyes were normally closed that made his open-eyed looks more unnerving. "I… see…"

Henry stared at her for a moment longer, and she was just about to start praying to Naga or whoever would listen to her so long as it wasn't Grima that he would close his eyes when he did so, a funny smile on his lips. "Yep! I was right! You are pretty weird, Eve."

Her brows furrowed. "Then you must be, too, to be my friend."

He snickered. "Guess so!"

* * *

As afternoon bled into evening, the two friends found their way to the town plaza just before the gates to the magic academy. They were balanced on a low wall separating pedestrian pathways from the main, paved road that merchant carts and carriages passed by on, with Eve sitting close to one end while Henry walked steadily from one side to the other. After Eve's discovery that they were friends, they mostly spoke about inane subjects, like Kyanos's favorite food on the road to Henry's worst subject at the academy. She was not used to such things, preferring to keep her silence than talk for the sake of talking, but it felt nice somehow to simply chat with another.

This was how Judith found them, striding up to her daughter with authority and grace. The moment she spotted her, Eve jumped down from her post, prompting Henry to stop his pacing and follow suit.

Judith raised a brow as she eyed the cloak covering her daughter, but shrugged it off. "It's time to go, Eve."

Eve nodded, pulling the cloak from her shoulders and handing it back to Henry. He accepted it, but did not bother to put it back on as he peered curiously up at her mother. Eve took note of it and stood straighter as she turned back to her mother. "Mother, this is Henry. My… friend." Judith bowed her head, which Henry cheerfully returned. "Henry, this is my mother, Judith."

"Hello!" he greeted. "It's nice to meetcha!"

Judith smiled. "The pleasure's mine. Thank you for keeping my daughter company."

"Aw, that was nothin'. It's been a long time so it was fun to hang out together again!"

"'A long time' might be an understatement," Judith murmured, "but that's good to hear. I'm sorry that we have to leave so soon, though."

"No worries!" Henry replied, and Eve saw the exact moment Judith wondered if he ever stopped smiling. "We'll meet again. I guarantee it!"

Her mother seemed at a loss at how to react to his unending cheer, so Eve stepped in. "I think that'd be nice. I did promise to take you on a flight with Kyanos, anyway."

"Right!"

"Right." With a polite bow, Eve tugged her mother away as she motioned for Ilyas and Kyanos to follow them. She waved over her shoulder. "See you, Henry."

"Bye bye!"

Eve gave a huff of laughter at his enthusiastic farewell, watching as he waved wildly at their retreating backs. She turned only when he stopped and made his way back to the academy gates behind him, smiling and in a rather good mood despite her regret at having to leave again.

"Nice boy," Judith commented as they made their way through the streets. She glanced over to her daughter, who stared back in return. "That white hair is familiar. He's the one you were playing with in the forest all those years ago, right? Funny that'd you'd meet him here of all places."

"Yes," was Eve's simple answer. She would elaborate if her mother asked—she learned long ago never to keep anything from her in the case that it turned out to be an important detail later—but would not offer anything without prompting. Henry's sad path to the academy was his own and, now that she knew they were friends, it left a bad taste in her mouth to treat him like any other stranger she met on the road.

Thankfully, her mother did not ask for an explanation, nodding absently. She was silent for a long while, simply ambling along the clearing streets, before saying, "I'm glad, though, that you have at least one good friend like that somewhere." Her lips quirked into a smile. "Even if he _is_ a dark mage-in-training." Then, blinking, she asked, "How'd you two meet, anyway?"

"How…" It took a moment for Eve to recall the exact memory of her and Henry's meeting. While she remembered that they had spent the day together in the forest with Wolfie, some pieces of her memories of that day were degraded and fuzzy or lost completely through time. "Ah. We met a little after you left, actually. He came out and tried to hex me." She paused. "I think that was after I nearly attacked him with my knife, though…?"

She was abruptly startled out of her recollections when her mother laughed. "So you basically tried to _attack_ each other?"

"I almost did," Eve corrected. "He just tried to hex me, but I dispelled it."

Her mother only laughed harder, garnering a few looks from the other stragglers on the road. "Oh, you _would_ make a friend like that, Eve, wouldn't you?"

"I… suppose so?" Lost, Eve looked to Ilyas and Kyanos as if they would have the answer of how to properly respond to her mother's antics.

Ilyas looked as bored as a pegasus could, likely used to his mistress, while Kyanos snorted and busied himself with grooming his wings.

"_Your problem,"_ she had the feeling he was trying to tell her.

She sighed. "Mother…"

Judith waved. "Okay, okay, I'm done. But really, now…" She chuckled. "You just can't do anything normally, can you?"

Recalling Henry's words, Eve deadpanned. "You think I'm weird, too, don't you?"

"Of course!" was her mother's happy reply. "But it's all right, dear. Normalcy is nice, but highly overrated."

And despite their lives being full of highly unusual circumstances and events, where "normal" could be seen as something more of a blessing than boring, Eve had to agree.


	5. The Wings of Despair

**Disclaimer**: I do not own _Fire Emblem Awakening_ nor any of the canon characters from there. As for any original characters that may show up, any resemblance they may have to others is highly likely coincidental. If not and they happen to reference some other character or fandom on purpose or by accident, I don't own that either! (Also don't own the summary quote, which is from _InuYasha_.)

**Other Notes**: This story is also being posted to my _Fire Emblem_ tumblr, **high-deliverer-eve**. If you see it being posted anywhere else, it isn't me!

This is where the dream ends. _**  
**_

* * *

_**The Wings of Goodbye**_

**Chapter Five  
**

* * *

Eve could not hear the sounds of fighting anymore.

Just as the darkness of night swallowed up all of her surroundings, the desert plains consumed the echoing music of carnage and mayhem until there was nothing left. All that existed at that moment was her, Kyanos, a half-dead wyvern, and its rider.

The wind rushed over her, biting and harsh, but she could not feel the chill over the adrenaline rushing through her veins.

"Who…" she began, only for her voice to fail her. She swallowed.

The cloaked figure standing before her seemed amused at her speechlessness.

Cold dread seeped its way down her spine. "W-Who are you…? _What_ are you?"

For a moment, she thought that the other person would not answer and that this encounter would end, however it would end, without her knowing their name or face. But then, with a voice that sent chills throughout her body, the person laughed.

It sounded fake.

It sounded wrong.

It sounded…

…familiar…

"That _is_ the question, isn't it?" the person—a woman, by the sound of the voice—drawled, voice dripping with sweet poison. "Come now… look at my face. Look at it closely, now." She reached up, very slowly, to remove the hood that kept her countenance in shadow.

And although Eve's instincts all screamed at her, she could not look away.

The hood fell and, for the first time in her twenty-two years of life, Eve felt as though she wanted to die.

* * *

The day had started out normally.

They had spent the night in the home of one of her mother's many contacts. Although Eve had been viewed as an adult for many years now, her mother had only deemed her ready to start sitting in on the meetings with them recently. It was Judith's reasoning that she was getting up in years that convinced her—she could no longer fight at her fullest extent and the years of stress had piled up on her. It was only a matter of time that it all caught up with her on the battlefield, so she wanted Eve to be as prepared as possible in the event that Judith was killed.

It was an unpleasant thought for Eve to consider, but she understood. She knew all too well of her own mortality. How could she not, when she was born to die for a "higher power"?

"You don't have to maintain it if you don't want to," Judith told her when they hit the road once more, guiding their pegasi to walk along the ground than taking to the air. "My spy network, I mean. It mainly consists of favors I've called in, so it's not like they're obligated either. They only stayed on after the first few visits because it became habit, really. Once I die, it can die with me if you'd rather not go through the trouble."

Eve hummed and said nothing, eyes lowered to the road in front of Kyanos.

There was a soft sound like a laugh from beside her. Eve turned to see her mother shaking her head. "You don't have to decide now."

But the sooner she did, the better it would be, wouldn't it?

* * *

Mother and daughter (and pegasi) traveled throughout the day before finally stopping. They were on the western side of Plegia, so thankfully their camp for the night would be on the plains rather than sand. Even more, they'd managed to fly to one of the few copse of trees in the area, a decent ways away from any of the "abandoned" forts, to shelter them as they rested.

After a short dinner, Eve took the first watch of the evening, both to help ease her mother as well as to give herself something to do. All through the day she had been considering and reconsidering her mother's offer to take over her spy network. It had grown considerably over the years and, while focusing on the movements of the Grimleal, began to extend over other parts of Plegia and some remote regions of their neighboring kingdoms as well. If Eve recalled correctly, her mother kept track of the Mad King's plots, as well as minor events in Ylisse, such as when Prince Chrom would go out with his "Shepherds" on expeditions through the countryside to carry out his sister's, the exalt's, orders.

To let such a complex web of information die would be disappointing, but Eve was not sure if she even _could_ maintain it. She never managed to learn how to emulate her mother's professionalism—her polite smile and persuasive words. In anything other than battle, and sometimes not even then, Eve was but a pale imitation of Judith. She had her looks, true, and her tenacious nature if her stubborn will to live were any indication, but outside of that, Eve was sorely inexperienced.

Her thoughts remained indecisive for the rest of her watch, plaguing her until the last moment when Eve woke her mother to take over and attempted to get some sleep as well.

* * *

It was still night when Eve jolted awake, reacting both to her mother's hand on her shoulder as well as the foreboding feeling that settled in the pit of her stomach. Breathing hard, Eve looked wildly around for the danger as her mother barked orders to get up and ready to fly. She leapt to her feet to saddle up, working quickly from years of practice. Kyanos stayed still as she moved, and she could see that he could sense something wrong, too, by the way that his ears were pricked forward, listening.

And then, in the distance, a wyvern shrieked.

Her mother cursed and the next thing Eve knew they were in the air. She turned around to where the cry originated and, squinting in the darkness, saw the distinctive shape of the dragon flying in their direction.

A hooded figure sat on its back.

Grimleal?

Facing forward again, Eve urged Kyanos to fly faster after her mother and Ilyas, hoping to lose their pursuer while the sky was still dark.

If only they could be so lucky.

* * *

The chase continued for hours. Whoever this person was, they were just as cunning and stubborn as the both of them, not only following their every moment perfectly but _gaining on them_ even with only the light of the moon and stars as a guide. Eve could only wonder how they did it, grudgingly admirable, as she could scarcely see what lay in the space ahead of her and Kyanos as they flew through the trees.

That was a risky maneuver in itself, as the branches and trunks of the trees could so easily be struck by the pegasus's wings, but Judith had ordered them to dive into the forest when their pursuer proved to be relentless. Her mother flew overhead, expert flight patterns making every charge she and Ilyas made look like a shooting star in the sky, but to no avail. Whoever was on their tail this time was no amateur—they were as much of a master of the skies on the back of their wyvern as both women were.

"Come on, Kyanos," Eve murmured encouragingly to her dark pegasus. "You can do it. Just a little more."

Her heart was pounding so hard that she could hear her blood roaring in her ears. Flashes of white made her look up to see her mother fighting, but every lance strike was done in vain. Ilyas gave a challenging cry, which was matched by the terrifying shriek of the wyvern.

Who was this person?

The end of the forest was coming up and Eve forced herself to pay attention to that than the battle above. Grasping Kyanos's reins firmly, she leaned forward both to avoid the branches overhead and to hopefully aid his speed as he raced out of the shadows. She slipped out her elwind tome from its holster on the back of her belt, flipping it open.

One heartbeat.

She let out a breath.

Another heartbeat.

Out of the forest and into the open plains, she bade Kyanos to rise to the sky, zooming after her mother and their unknown assailant. Green eyes narrowed against the wind, she released Kyanos's reins to direct a blade of wind at the wyvern.

Unable to defend against both attacks at once, the wyvern shrieked as the spell struck, jostling its rider. They veered towards the ground in a haphazard spiral as the wyvern tried to regain its equilibrium.

Eve felt a grim pleasure at having knocked them down, but they still had a job to finish. Otherwise, all this person would have to do is acquire another wyvern to be after them, and then the chase would begin all over again. She was not sure they could end the next one in the same way. As it was, they had been lucky the attack hit in the first place.

Judith followed first, though Eve was quick to join her. Together, they flew down, weapons at the ready.

On its feet, dagger-like teeth bared menacingly, the wyvern and its rider waited for them.

"You," said Judith when they touched ground. "What is your name? I know all of the Grimleal, or at least their skills, and there is _no one_ with your prowess in riding even amongst the king's forces."

Eve wondered at the logic of speaking with the enemy when Judith would usually dispatch them without a word, but she recognized her mother's tone of voice. She was truly disturbed by this individual and their sudden appearance. Had they truly managed to slip so easily through the cracks of her information network?

Unfortunately, the figure standing opposite of them did not respond, sitting silently on their wyvern's back. It was hard to tell which one of them the person was looking at with their hood drawn over their eyes, but Eve had the niggling feeling that it was her.

She also had the feeling that any act of grandeur she tried to pull, as she had with the assassin years ago and with several other gullible Grimleal since, would not be bought.

Judith readied her lance, Ilyas moving beneath her to prepare for a charge.

The wyvern shrieked, rearing up. Its rider held fast, throwing their arm out to the side. A veritable flame of power unlike any Eve had ever felt before ignited around them, filling the air with malicious intent.

"What the hell…!?" Judith hissed, and Eve's eyes widened when she saw the ground move, shifting as numerous creatures rose as if walking up from the depths of a lake.

They looked like corpses.

For a moment, Eve thought she was dreaming. There was no magic in the world that she knew of that raised the dead in such a manner. So how was this person able to do such a thing with just the wave of their hand? Nothing made sense and Eve could feel her mind break down as she tried to comprehend the situation.

How had things gone so wrong so quickly?

* * *

"_Awaken, my heart."_

"_Awaken, and all shall be as it should be."  
_

* * *

"Eve… Eve…!"

Snapping back to reality (when had she phased out?), Eve looked to her mother. Judith was not looking at her, but there was a hard set to her jaw as she stared at the sudden group of enemies before them.

"I want you and Kyanos to fly away from here," Judith said. Eve had barely enough time to open her mouth to complain when her mother stopped her. "Don't! This… I don't know what the hell this is, but this is not _normal_. I don't know who this person is, but they… they are strong." Her voice lowered to a murmur that Eve had to strain her hear, "Perhaps _too_ strong."

"But Mother—"

"Run."

A bubble of panic made its way to Eve's throat. "Mother, I can fight—"

"I said run!" Judith snapped, finally turning away from staring down the opposition to glare at her. Eve's mouth shut with an audible click of her teeth. "I _know_ you can fight, Eve! But this person… they're on a whole other level than what we've faced so far _and I don't know what else they can do_. And if they're Grimleal, this might end with you being _taken_. Don't you see that!?"

Eve could only stare, speechless, as her mother's eyes filled with tears. She could not remember her mother crying in all her years of living by her side. The effect was stunning.

"We've come too far to give you up now, like this. Now run. You promised me that you would live."

If there were ever a moment that Eve felt her heart break, it was at that moment.

"So _live_."

Eyes stinging, Eve urged Kyanos to launch into the sky.

Behind her, she heard Ilyas scream his challenge as her mother yelled, "Know my will! I will fight until the end!"

* * *

Eve did not get far.

Though she and Kyanos flew faster than they ever had before, the wyvern and its rider caught up with them after a brief scuffle with her mother. Judith shouted in outrage when they slipped past her, but she was unable to pursue them, preoccupied with the unholy army they had summoned from the earth. She could not afford to allow her daughter to be swarmed, so she alone remained behind to return the abominations to their graves in pieces. She could only pray that her daughter could get away in time.

Elwind tome in hand, Eve forced herself to calm as she heard the steady beat of dragon wings looming closer. Beneath her, Kyanos strained to get away, sensing the danger even more keenly than herself.

Gritting her teeth, Eve twisted in her seat and shot a blade of wind back. It was dodged, but the movement cost the wyvern some distance in order to avoid it. Eve nudged Kyanos and, trusting his rider, he swerved through the air, banking right to turn the chase around.

This seemed to catch the wyvern rider off guard, for they stopped in midair in order to track her movements. Taking the opening for what it was, Eve cast another wind spell and watched as it struck. The wyvern screamed, but did not fall. She sent another.

The sensation of magic being cast prickled at her and she grabbed the reins just in time to maneuver Kyanos out of the way of a lightning bolt. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end and she felt a drop of sweat slide its way down the side of her face. She imagined she looked rather pale at the close call—she had felt the heat of the lightning strike as it swerved past her and knew it could have knocked her down easily.

A thoron tome, if she was not mistaken. Perfect. She had not expected anyone to try casting magic from on top of a wyvern—and truly, the creature looked as rattled as she did when she looked closely. This battle would be much harder than she thought.

* * *

"_Why do you resist?"_

"_Why do you cling to your mortal life so?"  
_

* * *

Kyanos jolted and Eve lost her breath, lurching forward to cling to his neck as he all but threw himself to the side. A large shadow swept by them and Eve nearly jumped when she realized it was the wyvern. Had the other person tried to tackle them?

Mentally scolding herself for losing her head in the middle of a fight, she urged Kyanos to turn so they could keep the wyvern in sight. When she did, she noticed that the wyvern's flight was unsteady. Looking closer, she realized that one of her earlier wind strikes had torn the leathery membrane of its wings. Its rider would have to land soon or risk falling straight out of the sky with the creature and sustaining further damage.

She would just have to ensure they did just that!

"Get closer, Kyanos…!" she muttered to her mount. "We can't miss this next one!"

Kyanos—dear, brave Kyanos—allowed it, zooming straight through the air without a second of hesitation. On his back, Eve straightened and prepared the spell, holding it as she aimed. Green wisps of magic gathered around her fingers, stinging them slightly as if to force her to release it.

She was in range soon enough, but still she urged Kyanos closer.

The hooded person noticed her approach and turned around.

It was only when the wyvern was fully turned and Eve could see what little of the other person's face was exposed by their hood that she thrust her arm forward, brilliant green wind magic shooting out from her fingertips like an arrow. It sang as it rushed forward, the invisible blade cutting straight into the softer scales that covered the wyvern's torso.

They fell, but like an avenging spirit, another bolt of lightning struck upwards in a wild arc, catching Kyanos on one of his wings. He gave a pained cry.

"Kyanos!" Eve tried to shout, but her voice was lost to the wind as they dove uncontrollably down.

* * *

The landing was painful and jarring, and Eve immediately jumped off of Kyanos to lighten his weight as he stood on trembling legs. He let out another pained sound as she looked over him, trying to assess the damage as quickly as she could with danger still close by.

His wing was injured, that much was certain, and there seemed to be a few minor wounds on his body, but nothing was broken. He could still heal and live to fly another day.

Eve refused to sigh in relief. She could not afford to—not when that "another day" could never happen.

She turned, face grim, to see the hooded figure step away from their wyvern. The poor beast was breathing raggedly from the wound she inflicted. She felt rather sorry for it, especially since she had also harmed its wings, but it was necessary in the long run. She had to remind herself of that as she blocked the image from her mind, steeled her resolve, and stared at the figure now standing opposite of her.

* * *

"_Awaken, my heart."_

"_**Awaken.**__"  
_

* * *

The hood fell and, for the first time in her twenty-two years of life, Eve felt as though she wanted to die.

"How…" Her eyes widened and she clutched onto Kyanos in order to not stumble back. "No… That's not possible."

"Greetings," said the woman with her same face. "My name is Reverie… or rather, the original name of this body was Reverie." She chuckled. "The owner of that name is dead. I am the fell dragon, Grima."


	6. The Vow

**Disclaimer**: I do not own _Fire Emblem Awakening_ nor any of the canon characters from there. As for any original characters that may show up, any resemblance they may have to others is highly likely coincidental. If not and they happen to reference some other character or fandom on purpose or by accident, I don't own that either! (Also don't own the summary quote, which is from _InuYasha_.)

Also do not own the "For Want of a Nail" poem/proverb given in this chapter.

**Other Notes**: This story is also being posted to my _Fire Emblem_ tumblr, **high-deliverer-eve**. If you see it being posted anywhere else, it isn't me!

To all readers, whether of a reviewing nature or a ghostly one, thank you. I check the views of this story (which are not indicative of whether or not it's actually being _read_, I know, but still) often and just the fact that there are potential readers out there that enjoy this story is enough to keep me writing it. Let's hope my enthusiasm lasts!

Also, sorry for the shortness of this chapter. It irks me, but all the ideas I wanted to get down are here so I ended it where it was rather than continue on and risk disrupting the flow._**  
**_

* * *

_**The Wings of Goodbye**_

**Chapter Six  
**

* * *

_For want of a nail, the shoe was lost;_

_For want of a shoe, the horse was lost;_

_For want of a horse, the rider was lost;_

_For want of a rider, the message was lost;_

_For want of a message, the battle was lost;_

_For want of a battle, the kingdom was lost,_

_And all for the want of a horseshoe nail.  
_

* * *

This was not possible.

It couldn't be. She would never…

…would she?

"You're lying," she croaked out, disbelieving. "You're lying. I would never—I would _never_!"

She could not even bring herself to finish the thought. To do so would be to acknowledge it as a possibility and that was something she simply _could not do_.

Her doppelganger merely raised a brow, lips curled into a lazy smile. She lifted an arm to gesture to herself in a pointed manner. "Ah, but you will." And she said it with such certainty that Eve had to force herself to keep from shivering. "Come now, _Reverie_. If you would simply give in… awaken the heart that sleeps inside of you… nothing would be out of our reach."

"You mean _yours_," Eve spat. And she really did. Emotionally "reserved" or not, the topic of Grima and her role in his resurrection always placed her in a foul mood. To be faced with the reality of it, to know that it was not just a psychotic dream of the Grimleal and that it could happen (had happened?), was her worst nightmare. She had to resist raising her hands to cover her ears in an effort to block it all out. "How are you even _here_?"

She was stalling, she knew.

Grima seemed to know this as well, but graciously allowed her to. "One would think that, for such a _benevolent god_ she is purported to be, Naga would keep a better handle on what miracles she has a hand in." He twisted her face into a mocking sneer, ugly in its demented glee. "You see, Reverie, I stand before you now as a traveler from a future yet to pass—all thanks to Naga's _divine_ intervention."

Eve regretted asking her—him?—questions. To be spoken to by someone with her face, her voice, made her skin crawl. Even more since the fell dragon seemed to notice her discomfort, smile widening.

"Yes, lovely, isn't it? I have to say that even I was uncertain of where I would land upon exiting the time stream after following that foolish, blue-haired brat. But here you are, so close by. It must have been fate." Grima lifted his avatar's right hand, staring at the back of it. Eve felt the back of hers burn in response to his careful scrutiny. "Really, I just came to stop her from preventing my revival. But then I had a thought: that damnable Naga and her brood always have such foolish ideas, and with the work of her servants from the future arriving here to tamper with the timeline, why not do some _tampering_ of my own?"

Eve stepped back when his eyes alighted upon her once more.

"After all, you are here, power at its finest if unrefined… Rather than wait for the inevitable, awakening your heart now would render all of their efforts useless!"

There was a pulse in the air and Eve felt her legs buckle beneath her. Kyanos fell, too, but she could scarcely focus on her friend with her breathing labored and her body feeling as though it were being crushed. She gasped for air, but every breath felt as though it were smoke burning her insides.

"Why…" she managed to force out, mind reeling. What had the fell dragon done? "Why… me…? Why… my body…" She sent her doppelganger, her future self's body, a weak glare. "You already… have that one…"

Grima seemed to take on a pitying expression as he looked down upon Eve with her own green eyes. "It must seem strange to hear, does it not? After all, though older, this body is certainly much stronger than your own. It has seen more battles, overcome more hardships… Truly, had _she_ been the one faced with such a flimsy attack, she would have been able to endure it better than you have." He eyed her, unimpressed with the image she must have made, barely able to hold herself upright on her knees. Striding forward, he crouched, resting his chin on his knuckles as he appraised her. "But what she has that you do not are her foolish _bonds_."

The level of acid in Grima's voice—her voice—was enough to make her flinch.

"Her foolish love for her mortal companions and their love for her, although they were long since _dead_ mind you, was enough to keep her fighting my control for years. It was quite vexing and left this body in suboptimal condition." He smirked, almost wryly. "Even my most perfected vessel cannot handle the strain of two forces battling inside it over a long period of time, it seems. Which is unfortunate, true. I would much rather keep this body for its own individual power than have yours, but… how does that mortal saying go? Ah, yes, 'beggars cannot be choosers'." He raised a hand to tug at a strand of her hair, forcing her to look into his—her—eyes. "Not that I'd ever _beg_. Such a thing is beneath me. No, I will simply _take_, even if it means settling for something less than what I deserve."

She wished she had the strength to spit in his face, but it felt as if her energy was being sapped just by being in close proximity to the fell dragon. Instead, she settled for gasping out, "And my weakness… will help you… how…?"

Deceptively gentle, Grima's fingers left her hair to grasp her chin. He eyed her impassively.

And then he smiled.

"Your body is weaker, yes, but truly, all humans pale against the might of my true power. By taking your body, I can recuperate what power I lost more quickly than I could in this failing one and begin my annihilation of all those idiotic worms anew." He was still smiling, and Eve wished he didn't—not while wearing her face. It was terrible and wrong and utterly inhuman, but what scared her the most was how natural it looked upon her countenance. "So really, I am losing nothing by claiming you, as is my right."

Her body screamed at her to flee, but she was already caught, wasn't she? Whether in the future, with the body he currently wore, or right now. She was his, and she was an utter fool to believe that she could be anything else. For what could a mere mortal do to one such as him, a god?

But even then…

Even then…

"Mother," she whispered.

The last thing she saw was Grima reaching up, grasping her head in both hands—and then nothing.

* * *

Darkness. A slow heartbeat.

_Did I… die…?_

Everywhere she looked was unending black. She could not move her body, either, forced to simply float along in the eerie void. She wondered where she was.

_Grima_, she tried to say, but her voice would not cooperate with her. Her thoughts worked just as well, jumbled as they were. _He was there. He had me. Does this mean he's taken over?_

It felt oddly calm—the opposite of what she had expected to feel in the presence of Grima. Or perhaps her mind was too far gone, curled up deep inside itself to protect the last vestiges of her humanity from the fell dragon, to feel him as he took control of her. Was this all she could do now? Wait in oblivion as the world collapsed outside of her with Grima's resurrection, unable to even fight back?

_The other me had done it, hadn't she?_ she thought desperately, trying to move despite the lack of feeling any limbs to move. _So why can't… Oh…_

"_What she has that you do not,"_ Grima had said, _"are her foolish bonds."_

The future Eve, over years and over circumstances Eve had yet to endure, had forged bonds, just as Judith said she would. She had woven ties that kept her tethered to the world, kept her fighting against Grima even when he'd taken her body as his own. The love she held for her friends and companions, which was returned just as fiercely if Grima's words were any indication, had been so strong that she wore her own body out until even the fell dragon felt it compromised.

_What must that feel like_, she wondered blankly, unable to comprehend, _to love and be so loved in return that you can fight off the will of a veritable god?_

She had her mother, certainly, and so she was not as alone as Grima made her out to be. But that was not enough, was it?

Unwilling to give in to the despair that was quickly creeping up on her senses, Eve tried to struggle. Keeping her love for her mother in mind, she fought, imagining herself tied down and desperately trying to be freed.

Something flickered in the distance, lightening the dark world around her for an instant before disappearing again. Hope bloomed and she renewed her efforts, frantically trying to pull away from the black haze, but the flickers never strengthened.

Eventually, the flickering faded altogether.

Exhausted, Eve stopped and stared, thoughts bleak.

_Fate is cruel_, she thought as she allowed herself to sink. All she had to do was close her eyes and sleep. Perhaps a hero would rise to stop her—Grima—in her path, just like the champions of the legends of yore. She prayed they would not hate her if they found out who she was, and that her mother would not hate them for having to slay her. _Naga, if you are listening, guide your warriors well._

And just as she was ready to succumb, sinking into the depths of her own consciousness, the void around her filled with brilliant light.

"I know it feels nice to sleep, but you can't do that just yet," said a voice, striking in its familiarity. But unlike Grima's voice, which was full of his cruelty and hatred boiling beneath the surface, this one was almost kind and tinged with warmth.

Eve opened her eyes—or did the mental equivalent of doing so—to see her face looking down at her. There was a trace of a smile and a glitter of determination in her eyes as she reached down and pulled Eve up.

"Come on," said her future self, "I only have enough energy left for one last fight—let's make it count."

* * *

Let it be known, dear reader, that this is where our story takes its first divergence from the one that you are surely more familiar with.

It starts like this:

In the original timeline that is known and much beloved, Judith would make a crucial decision that would save her time in going after her daughter and Grima. Fighting against the horde of Risen, she would relieve herself of her spare spear, taking a risk in the hopes that it would pierce a distant Risen and leave just another few to get rid of. The attack would hit, freeing up her time to dispatch the rest before zooming after Eve.

This decision would ultimately end in her downfall, as she would reach the two just as Grima was finishing up his speech. Annoyed at the interruption by the lowly mortal, the fell dragon would lash out, leaving a fatal strike upon her person on top of the other wounds she sustained by fighting the Risen. Judith would die with the knowledge that Grima had her daughter in his grasp with no way to help. Eve, on the other hand, would be forced to watch her mother, and Ilyas, whom Grima would attack right after to silence his neighing, die.

Coupled with Grima's earlier words accusing her of being alone, she would succumb easily to the darkness when he finally invaded her mind.

This would, of course, fail, as Eve's Heart of Grima was nowhere near capable of withstanding Grima's memories enough for him to gain control. Her mind would shatter, casting him out into his old body to retreat and recover the great amount of energy he had lost in the process. She would later wake in the carnage and, memories lost, amble her way across the Ylissean border before collapsing in a field from exhaustion.

However, none of this would occur in this timeline. All because of a single choice.

Because, you see, reader, even split-second decisions made in the heat of battle can lead to very different outcomes. But you must already be well-acquainted with that feeling, yes?

At any rate, in this timeline, the decision Judith decided upon lost her time. Her fight against the Risen was prolonged, and she was unable to go after her daughter and Grima before the fell dragon invaded Eve's mind. Eve was spared the sight of watching her mother die, allowing her to cling to the small hope that she was not truly alone for a moment longer.

This hope would reach, far across the distance of her mind, deep into the subconscious of Grima's mind, where the future Eve was sleeping. Because, despite the fell dragon's words, her future self was _not_ dead. Exhausted, perhaps, and soul weary, but not dead. She'd been fighting for far too long, after all, to simply give in. No, she vowed she would hold on to her life energy as long as she could until she could see Grima defeated.

With the plight of the present Eve calling out to her, on the verge of submitting, she would awaken.

And she would have her chance to finally take the fell dragon down, she knew. Who better to help her than herself?

Fate can be very cruel. But, at least, she is fair.

* * *

Eve grasped onto the spiritual construct that was her future self, reveling in the knowledge that, in one future, this was who she became. This shining woman whose very spirit radiated warmth, whose presence washed over her like a protective cloak. Was this the result of the bonds that Grima claimed her to have? That Judith said would guide her to true strength?

As if sensing her thoughts, the future Eve smiled, very faintly. It was still nowhere near the kind of reassuring smile Judith wore, but it was more than the pale imitation that Eve could do now. "Don't worry," she said, "one day, you will acquire such bonds, too. I'm sure of it. But you have to _fight_ for it right here. Right now."

Around them, the darkness was moving swiftly in again.

"Live up to the name that you and Mother decided on and fight."

"_If I remember correctly, Eve means 'living'…"_

"Fight with everything you have, everything you are."

"_Yes, I think that will be a great name for you. Prove to the man that sired you that you are no vessel meant to die for one group's selfish goals."_

"If you do so, I will give everything I have in return to ensure you succeed."

"_Prove to all of them that you are more than the unfortunate name I gave you—that you will not disappear like a fleeting dream or thought, but _live_, truly and vibrantly."_

"Together, we can fight it. Fight _him_." The future Eve's gaze was silent and yet so strong. Eve marveled again at this woman's survival, if only in spirit, against the fell dragon's might. "Will you fight?"

"_You promised me that you would live."_

"Yes," Eve said. If she could, she would have trembled at the fear and determination that coursed through her all at once.

"_So __**live**__."_

"I will."


	7. Will to Fight

**Disclaimer**: I do not own _Fire Emblem Awakening_ nor any of the canon characters from there. As for any original characters that may show up, any resemblance they may have to others is highly likely coincidental. If not and they happen to reference some other character or fandom on purpose or by accident, I don't own that either! (Also don't own the summary quote, which is from _InuYasha_.)

**Other Notes**: This story is also being posted to my _Fire Emblem_ tumblr, **high-deliverer-eve**. If you see it being posted anywhere else, it isn't me!

Also, not sure if this should really be relevant, but thanks to those of you who have taken the time to leave a review or two for this story or send me a PM regarding it. I like seeing that people are reading this, true, but even more I am always glad to have constructive criticism as well as opinions as to what worked or didn't work. I would like to encourage this to continue, as my writing cannot improve without it. Even if you're just nitpicking, feel free to drop a line by! I like knowing you're there as much as I like knowing what writing elements to invoke or avoid!

(Granted, I cannot cater to everyone's tastes while accommodating my own style so I apologize if it will seem like I'm ignoring your advice in the long run. I honestly do take it into account, though.)_**  
**_

* * *

_**The Wings of Goodbye**_

**Chapter Seven  
**

* * *

The moment Eve took Reverie's—and that was what she planned to call her future self at least for now—hands and gave her vow to fight, the tendrils of dark mixed with the light around them vanished in a swirl of color. It swept around them with such dizzying speed that, when it settled, left her standing, disoriented, in the middle of a snow-covered wood.

"Ferox," Reverie said, a slight frown on her lips as she peered at their surroundings. "Close to one of the border forts, if I'm not mistaken."

Eve had never been to such a place—both she and her mother had avoided traveling to the colder regions of the northern country due to being unable to stand the weather for long periods of time. The setting around them now could only have been drawn from Reverie's own memories, which both surprised and unsettled Eve. Was her mind so fractured as to be so easily influenced by forces other than her own? Or did it register Reverie as herself and adjust accordingly? "But why are we—"

She was cut off when something massive blocked out the sky overhead, casting them in shadow. Tilting her head back to see what it was, Eve gasped.

The body of a giant black dragon was flying over the forest, its body eclipsing the cloudy sky. It took several long moments for it to pass, tail sweeping in a lethal arc over the canopy.

"Grima," Reverie concluded grimly. "He is searching for us. Or rather, searching for you." She looked down at her counterpart, expression devoid of emotion. "He's gone through a lot of trouble before because I refused to give in. I doubt he'll give you any rest as a result. Not until he's snuffed your consciousness out entirely."

"He would go so far?" Eve asked somewhat doubtfully. She did not think the fell dragon would find her all that troublesome, given how easily she was defeated earlier.

Had it been a lighter situation, she had the feeling Reverie would have shrugged. "As I said, I gave him a rough time. Early on, I managed to regain control of my body, if only fleetingly, over a long period of time before I finally wore myself out. I lost the battle, but in the war for my body I had a noticeable victory in hindering my body's functions irreparably. He won't compromise your body to the same fate by being so arrogant as to not consider a similar will to live in you."

"But then… what can we do?" Eve asked, troubled. "Even if it is the two of us, can we really fight, much less win, against him?"

Reverie considered her with careful eyes. She seemed to look straight through Eve to her deepest fears, which was understandable given that they were the same person.

That did not make it any less unsettling, being so utterly transparent.

"Grima thrives on fear," her older counterpart said finally. No fanfare, no dramatics. Just truth. "He plunged the world I came from into eternal darkness and hunted all who opposed him to extinction, picking them off after toying around with them until they were nothing but paranoid messes. Those with stronger wills, he broke with cruel efficiency by destroying all they held dear." There was a strange inflection in her voice as she said this, but Eve did not call her out on it for fear of learning the truth behind her haunted eyes. "Do not let him trick you into thinking him a god and fearing his power. If you do that, you have already lost before ever engaging in battle." Her mouth pressed into a grim line. "You must always remember that there is no such thing as an infallible being—not Naga, and certainly not Grima. We _can_ fight him."

Eve wanted to believe her. Wanted to so desperately that she forced the fear of becoming a monster down with a deep exhalation of breath. "…Then what do we do?"

Something like approval glimmered in Reverie's eyes. She looked out at the snowy landscape around her, arm extending in a grand gesture. "All of this is from my memory, but this is ultimately _your_ mind. Grima may have power, but do not underestimate the advantage of waging war on a landscape made to cater to your whims." Her voice was hard with experience and Eve felt a thrill run through her at her confidence. "He will do everything in his power to break you and make you bend your mind to his will. Do not let him."

Eve nodded and, facing forward, closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. She would have to alter the landscape to something more familiar to her, but she also needed something else. And if there were ever something she needed for battle, it would be…

A familiar weight formed in her hand and she reflexively adjusted her grip to stabilize it. When she opened her eyes again, the sight of her mother's lance greeted her. Beside her, she watched as a green tome settled itself in Reverie's arms, the image of what seemed to be a gold-embossed shining star on its cover.

"Ready?" her counterpart asked.

The forest melted around them, but Eve's mind quickly stepped in, constructing the image of wide open plains in its place. A fortress sprung up beneath and around them—little more than a nuisance in reality to Grima's bulk, but a protective barrier in this mental world.

Grima roared, his many eyes setting upon them immediately.

With the spear that had protected her for as long as she could remember at her side, Eve willed herself to stand strong against the shockwaves of his attempts to gain full control. Shadows that threatened to creep upon the corners of her makeshift battlefield were obliterated, dissolving into dust.

"I will not give in," Eve vowed. To herself. To Reverie. To her mother.

To the kind man who led the merchant caravan who taught her how to haggle. To the pegasus knight sisters she made while training to become one of them. To the assassin whom she learned died, unwavering in his faith in her, and the family he left behind. To Henry, her first friend.

Most were shallow bonds at best, nothing like the intimate comradery that fell over Reverie like a cloak.

But for them, she would not give in and forfeit their world, their lives, to Grima.

Grima roared once more, and his call brought forth the apparitions of undead creatures that rushed through the fields, weapons raised and uttering calls of death.

Reverie steadied her, murmuring soft assurances.

Together, they leapt over the walls of the fortress and landed on the ground, unharmed in the dreamscape. Together, they met the imaginary undead army and broke them like waves upon rocks. Together, victims of Grima, they stood, defiant, in the face of his rage.

"**You!"** he seethed, draconic body crossing the field in seconds. It tore and crumbled beneath him until he towered over the fortress, which remained standing strong before his might. **"Why do you never **_**die**_**!? Why do you always **_**interfere**_**!?"**

Reverie glared up at him, as if glaring at a being hailed as a deity were commonplace for her. "Come now, _Grima_," she spat, "didn't I tell you? You might be able to take my body, but as long as my soul still exists, I will fight you at every chance I get along the way. You will _never_ take me fully. I refuse."

"**You've nothing left!"** he bellowed. Minute cracks made their way across the landscape at the force of his voice, not as noticeable on the grassy plains as they were against the blue sky. **"Neither of you! Give in! Submit to me! There is no hope for you to cling to once you are in here or have the past years not taught you that!? You fight in vain!"**

"Maybe it was before," Reverie conceded bitterly. "Before, you took over me at full strength, utilizing my own power afterwards to tear apart the last of what I held dear. Anything and everything else you corrupted for your own selfish goals. I fought and had little to show of it other than slowing you down, barely."

"**Then you understand,"** Grima snarled. His head reared back, maw opening. A rush of black spears jutted out of the ground in a line towards them, looking every bit dangerous and lethal.

Eve flinched even as Reverie grabbed her arm to prevent her from jumping away. The spears shattered against a barrier that shimmered upon contact before falling invisible once more.

That explained why Grima was unable to move any closer.

"**Fools!" **he howled when his attack failed.

"No," Reverie said. "_You're _the fool. Do you really think Naga would not have taken your following Lucina into the past into consideration? She must have _known_ you would try it! Why do you think you're so weak now, after falling through?"

"**As if she could best me!"**

"She already has!" Reverie shouted back and Eve was pulled behind her. She felt like a child in the middle of an adult's dispute, lost and confused and yet so terribly understanding all at once. "You claim to be a god, but you fell into a trap! _You_ are the _fool_!"

"**You **_**dare**_** belittle **_**me**_**, human!?"**

Grima's rage built, and the world fractured around them.

* * *

_Reverie's memories were full of darkness, Eve realized._

_At least, the most recent memories were._

_Some days, it appeared that Reverie regained consciousness behind Grima's mind, watching him as he destroyed the world with her hands. Eve watched through her eyes as the grotesque beings that attacked her and her mother earlier rose at his command, razing villages and killing people without mercy._

_Even the Grimleal were not spared._

_Grima gave them a swift death, before the brunt of the chaos and carnage started, as payment for their faith to him. But they still died in the end._

_Distantly, Eve watched these memories as they flitted over her mind in quick flashes of light. Her heart broke as she saw the world collapse piece by piece, but she was unable to look away._

* * *

Steeling her resolve, Eve willed her mind to withstand the attack before putting the shattered landscape back together again like a puzzle.

Grima's wings flared, all six of them, threatening to block out the artificial sky. **"I am done with this conversation,"** he growled. **"**_**Submit!**_**"**

Eve readied her lance, prepared to do no such thing, just as Reverie opened her tome. They did not so much as glance at one another to know that the other was ready.

Wordlessly, Eve jumped up, imagining Kyanos's wings propelling her high into the sky as she rounded Grima's neck. She thrust her mother's lance forward against his scales, digging the blade in deep when she found a gap beneath one as it layered over another. Using the momentum of her descent, she flipped her body around, dragging the lance the entire way until another scale dislodged the weapon. She fell to the other side just as a whirlwind briefly engulfed the dragon before bursting violently.

Grima snarled, rising to his feet, tail lashing as he tried to keep track of them both. Such tiny creatures they were against him, and yet so annoying.

Recalling Reverie's words about the world reacting to her whims, Eve focused on changing their surroundings again. Using the fortress as a focal point, a forest once more sprouted around them, concealing both her and Reverie from immediate sight.

The fell dragon swiped and breathed death, but any trees he knocked down returned before long. His anger was immense as he set about to tearing apart the fake world, but Reverie's words rang true.

He was weakened.

The time-travel had done its job, as even he admitted, but Eve had a feeling this attempt to subdue her had taken its toll as well. Perfect vessel or not, this battle of wills in her mindscape _drained_ him as he tried to impose his will upon her only to be violently rejected.

Reverie was, once again, right.

Combining their wills, the two incarnations of Grima's vessel could fight against the fell dragon in this weakened state of his. Even more, there was a high chance that they could even _win_.

"You _are_ a fool," Eve murmured as she leapt out from the safety of the trees before him. His eyes burned angrily at her and she felt a spike of fear as she saw her reflection, but it was no longer crippling. She no longer felt the hopeless desperation she had when she thought him invincible. "You should have stayed in your future, and finished your torment there."

He hissed at her, swatting her away like a fly. She flipped away from him, lance disappearing as she summoned a magic tome of her own.

"If you had," she continued as she landed, "you could have taken over and destroyed the world, just as you planned. But here, you weakened yourself by traveling back in time through a portal set up by your greatest enemy."

Twin blades of wind approached him from two different directions, followed by another set in quick succession. The force was not enough to knock him over, but he gave a very noticeable step back at the assault.

"And then you decided to try and take over my body, further crippling yourself because you believed me to be weaker-willed than my future self. You never even took it into account that she was still alive, sleeping, and that, by bringing the battle to my mind, you would allow us to meet."

Eve was not sure what Reverie was doing, hidden by the trees, as she spoke, but she would not let it stop her from giving Grima what he deserved for his hubris.

"No matter the outcome, I refuse to accept you!" she shouted. "I will _never_ submit!"

A bright light emitted from the opposite side of Grima, and the world shattered once more.

* * *

_For a moment, Eve wondered if the only memories that Reverie had now were those pertaining to the world's grim future. She did not blame her, but she could not help but feel that it would be rather sad if her future self could remember only grief and misery._

_But, just as she thought that, she found that beyond the cold uncertainty of living behind Grima's eyes was a distant warmth. Like the feeling of a shining sun on a cold winter day._

_Not wishing to intrude, Eve let the memories pass her by as fleeting images, watching as the snippets of the bleak future gave way to pictures of a much gentler scene._

_The images were blurry, corroded by time, but the feeling behind them was unmistakable. These were the memories of the friends Reverie had clung to, whom she loved so dearly that they stabilized her existence even deep within Grima's mind. When any other would have given in, she held on for their sakes, doing all that she could to even just hopefully slow the fell dragon down._

_Even when news of their deaths reached her, or she watched them die either from a distance or by her own hands, she held on to their memories. She had to, in the hopes that, should another hero rise up, she could aid them somehow from within._

_It was a powerful feeling, this friendship. This love._

_Eve wanted to know it more.  
_

* * *

In the solid white world, Grima's imposing figure seemed diminished somehow. That, coupled with the lines of the ancient, arcane language encasing him, made him appear much smaller than he had with the image of land below him and the sky above.

Reverie appeared at Eve's side without a sound, arms held out to maintain whatever spell she had done to capture him. Beads of sweat made their way down her face at the effort as he thrashed about, cursing them for their audacity, but she managed a small smirk when Eve looked at her, stunned. "I'm going on instinct here," she said with difficulty. "Try to imagine a cage around him."

Eve tried, but the fell dragon lashed out his tail and broke it before it could form even partway around him. She winced, but the pained look on Reverie's face made her try again.

This time, instead of a cage that her traitorous mind whispered was too weak to hold him, she imagined a sphere. Like a flower reversing from blooming to budding, the pure void floor beneath Grima segmented, stretching outwards and upwards to meet above his body. She envisioned the spell Reverie cast engraving itself on the outside of the petal-like walls, reinforcing whatever confinement her counterpart created.

Grima struck out again, but the walls held strong as they steadily closed over the fell dragon's body.

"**Impossible!"** he roared. **"No! This cannot be! Damn you, what have you done!?"**

Reverie was panting, but when Eve chanced a look her way, she ordered, "Don't pay attention to me! Just focus on sealing him away!"

The very thought nearly broke Eve's concentration anyway. _Sealing…!?_

Reverie groaned. "Focus!" she snapped.

Heart pounding, Eve could do nothing except comply. Mirroring her older counterpart, she raised her arms, miming the act of molding something together in her hands. The spherical prison she erected around Grima closed swiftly, snagging only when the fell dragon tried once more to force it off of him.

His wings strained against the rounded walls and he was snarling more like a feral, wild animal than a sentient dragon. The magic of Reverie's spell crackled, the ancient letters gleaming against the stress.

"Close it!" Reverie yelled, voice reflecting her pain.

Gathering what strength she could, Eve slammed her hands together.

The great orb closed, silencing Grima's screams. It glowed brightly, the arcane verses multiplying across the smooth surface of the sphere, before darkening. The words did not fade out completely, however, instead rhythmically brightening and dimming like a visual heartbeat.

It took several moments of tense observation for Eve to realize with a start that it was in time with her own.

She had no time to point it out, however, when Reverie collapsed.

"It's all right," Reverie said when Eve reached out to steady her. She lifted her arms to study her hands, which were trembling. She managed a tired smile. "That appears… to be all I had left…"

Confused, Eve was about to question her meaning when she realized that the other was turning transparent. Shock flooded through her system. "You're dying."

Reverie said nothing, but her acceptance was clear through her silence. Her eyes drifted to the quiet, floating sphere. "It is all right. It was for a good cause. I am glad… that I could at least help in sealing him away." She turned to Eve. "With your will and the last of my life force engraved in that shield, it should prove to be an unbreakable prison."

Should. But it was not guaranteed.

Eve pointed this out aloud.

"No, it isn't," Reverie agreed. "While I do not doubt… the strength of our combined magic keeping him at bay… it will ultimately be up to you… to keep him sealed." Her breathing was labored. Already Eve could see more of the white void behind her than her actual self. "I have faith… that you will do just fine…"

It was a terrifying responsibility. One little slip and Eve could unleash, as Reverie's blurry memories could attest, the end of the world.

Reverie seemed to sense her thoughts, smiling wryly. She reached up to place her hand on Eve's cheek. Neither pointed out the futility of the action, as Eve could not feel it and Reverie could see her hand go through her like a ghost. "I am sorry that I have given you such a burden," she said, voice as full of regret and pain as her eyes were. "If I had more time to think of another solution… I would not have sealed Grima like this inside of you…"

Eve shook her head as Reverie let her hand fall away. Though her heart felt small and trembling with fear, she would not take the apology. "It's not your fault," she said, steadfastly ignoring the way her voice shook. "You only did what you could. It was the best possible solution at the time and I know that you would've done anything else if you could have thought of it." She tried to smile. She knew that she failed, but she kept trying anyways to ease her future self's worries as she faded away. "I know that that is what I would have done, at any rate."

Reverie laughed, but it was cut off as she grimaced in pain.

Eve looked over her, troubled. "…Is there nothing I can do to save you?"

"No…" Reverie shook her head, closing her eyes as she lay back. "But it is fine. I've been waiting to die for a long time now… I am only relieved that I can do so, knowing that you and all the others have a chance now at a brighter future."

Eve thought back to the brief impressions of memories she received from the older woman. There was nothing clear in detail—the memories themselves were too tainted by time and Grima's torment. She could possibly gain a better picture of the events if she asked, but she knew that if she did she risked becoming too preoccupied with worrying of the future events. It would become all too easy for her to lose track of the present, which could prove fatal in the long run.

She shook her head as if to clear it. "I will… do my best to live up to your expectations."

Reverie smiled. "As self-serving as it may sound, I am confident that you will surpass them."

And so, Eve watched as, with that last, peaceful smile on her face, Reverie released one final breath and the bright, white world faded out around her.

* * *

When she awoke to Kyanos's worried snuffles as he nudged her form with his nose, Eve slowly sat up. She patted Kyanos as she looked around, finding her future self's body lying beside her.

She was smiling there, too.


	8. A Place to Belong

**Disclaimer**: I do not own _Fire Emblem Awakening_ nor any of the canon characters from there. As for any original characters that may show up, any resemblance they may have to others is highly likely coincidental. If not and they happen to reference some other character or fandom on purpose or by accident, I don't own that either! (Also don't own the summary quote, which is from _InuYasha_.)

**Other Notes**: This story is also being posted to my _Fire Emblem_ tumblr, **high-deliverer-eve**. If you see it being posted anywhere else, it isn't me!

Friendly reminder that although some elements of the plot will be the same, there will be some differences (as if you didn't already catch that with the whole "sealing Grima" scene last chapter). The order of events will essentially be the same, but some things might be switched around slightly—especially in regards to character recruiting. The big changes won't really kick in until _at least_ the in-game Chapter 11 or around the peacetime between that chapter and the next. Valm itself probably won't see much change though, for that matter. I think. Other than character interaction and the like, of course.

Also, hello, Mister Ylissean Prince. And princess. And knight. Good of you to join us._**  
**_

* * *

_**The Wings of Goodbye**_

**Chapter Eight  
**

* * *

Eve ached, body and soul.

A part of her wanted nothing more than to stay still, recover, and hopefully make sense of the last few hours. An even greater part knew that she could not, that she had to find her mother, had to bring her future self's body somewhere to be buried and given the respect she deserved.

Taking in a deep breath, Eve stood. Kyanos nickered, standing close so she could hold on to him and steady herself. She was grateful for his presence, clutching onto him as though he were her lifeline before letting go and looking over him closely again for injuries. Grima's attack had done a number on them both, after all, and she had blacked out before she could see her friend's condition.

Thankfully, the dark pegasus did not seem worse for the wear. His wing was still injured, but it appeared to be mostly superficial. He could still spread it at her command when she wished to see the extent of the damage, though it was obvious it caused him some discomfort to do so by the way he shifted around like a skittish colt. Apologizing for the pain, Eve let him tuck his wing in again, brushing her fingers against his feathers gently. She willed it to heal swiftly, both for her sake and his.

With nothing left to do about it than give it time, Eve turned to her counterpart's still body and, delicately, lifted it. It was very light, disconcertingly so, but at least she did not have to worry about needing help placing her body on Kyanos's back. Kyanos, on his part, seemed nervous about letting the one that attacked them near, even if she were dead, but a soft reprimand from Eve calmed him down. He still snorted as she secured her future self's body so it would not fall, but did not rear up or buck her off, at least.

As she walked around to take Kyanos's reins and begin leading him, on foot, Eve spared her fallen counterpart's face another look.

"I am sorry for your pain," Eve whispered, reaching out to brush a strand of hair from her face. "I will do everything I can to ensure that the future you came from does not come to pass."

She only hoped that she was equal to the task.

* * *

The path to where she had last seen her mother took a long time by foot, which was understandable. When she had escaped, Eve was on Kyanos's back, flying at full speed to outrun the wyvern. Unfortunately, this meant that she was also not paying much attention to where she was going, so she had to pause once or twice along the way to figure out where she was, exactly.

Kyanos made a low sound in his throat during one such stop. Eve gently swatted his side.

"Don't laugh," she said severely. "This is a very serious matter and you're ruining my concentration."

He snorted, tossed his head, but quieted all the same. Eve felt affection bloom, fond as ever of her dear companion. She resolved to get him a treat of some kind once they met up with her mother and settled her older self in a nice meadow somewhere. Perhaps a few apples. For him and Ilyas, really. Gods knew they both deserved it for their unflinching bravery in these last few battles.

Decision made and feeling significantly lighter since reawakening with Grima locked inside her, Eve picked up the trail once more and began to walk, Kyanos following dutifully behind her.

* * *

The light feeling did not last long.

After half an hour of nonstop walking, Eve finally began to see traces of the fight she left behind. Namely, she saw a corpse that was once again dead (or so she hoped) lying on the dirt path, a rusty axe lying some distance away. She approached the figure cautiously, making sure to grab her lance from where it had been strapped to Kyanos's side, forgotten for the earlier aerial battle. When she was close enough, she prodded it with the tip of the blade.

It remained still.

Sighing in relief, Eve hefted the weapon up and, figuring it was best to be safe, forced it down again. The neck neatly sliced apart, much to her disgust, and the head rolled slightly without anything to keep it stable. She was tempted to kick it for its role in the horrific night, but knew she had more pressing matters to attend to. So, she continued on, beckoning Kyanos to follow her.

More bodies greeted them along the way, and with every corpse they found Eve worried more for her mother's health. She had not been paying attention, too lost in her own panic at the escalating madness, but she could recall that the summoned group had been large. Grima had not wanted any chance of interruption, but Judith was skilled enough to handle herself on her own.

The scales could tip in either direction, really, and that was what worried Eve most.

_Please_, she prayed fervently as she picked up her pace. _Please, Naga, gods, anyone: don't take her away from me, too._

Heart pounding, Eve was only vaguely aware of the rising sun in the distance, lightening up the desert landscape. Only they were not so much in the desert now, were they? If her instincts were correct, they were very near Plegia's border with Ylisse judging by the growth of the foliage and wasn't that something? Just through the forest there and around the mountain pass they could walk into the peaceful halidom without any worries now and—_where was her mother?_

A flash of white caught her attention through a distant set of trees. Breath caught in her throat, Eve ran, dropping Kyanos's reins.

"Ilyas! Mother!" she called as she crossed the distance.

There was no answer.

Her mind was already in denial, chanting _no, no, no, no_ over and over again as she neared. "Mother… Ilyas…?"

She stopped as she rounded the trees. It was Ilyas.

He was dead.

—_no, no, no, no, no, no—_

Eve delved further into the small wood, passing by numerous other corpses. The archers she found, whose arrows had surely been the ones stuck in Ilyas's hide and wings, she kicked, ignoring the pain it brought to her feet. But even then she did not stop, intent on finding her mother. She was just as adept fighting on foot as on Ilyas's back. Perhaps she had been forced to abandon him when he went down, loathe as she was to leave him, and made it to safety further away.

Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps…

There was a small clearing ahead, at the entrance of which was another corpse of a warrior. Eve ignored it as she went on.

She stopped only when she reached the center of the clearing, staring down at the two figures lying prone some feet away from one another.

One was a creature that looked like a man but unlike the other undead she'd seen on the way. His body was bare and well-muscled, but he looked barbaric with his wild mane of hair and grotesque mask covering his face. Her mother's lance pinned him to the ground, pierced straight through his chest.

The other figure was her mother.

* * *

Eve did not know how long she stood in the clearing, or when she sank to her knees beside her mother's body, or even when Kyanos caught up with her. All she knew was that her mother was dead, Ilyas was dead, and Grima was sealed away inside of her with only her willpower apparently keeping him back.

The sun had fully risen by the time she started coming back to herself, back to reality. Slowly, she tore her gaze away from her mother's battered body to look at the sky above her. It was a clear, perfect morning blue, and she knew, logically, that it was going to be a warm day. And yet, she felt so cold.

It should have worried her. She may have had difficulties expressing emotion, as her mother chided her for time and time again, but she had never felt this numb. It was as though her heart had frozen over, retreating into itself and stopping time for a while until things began to make sense again. Even her earlier aches over the death of her counterpart could not reach her now. It was just one death amongst many that day.

It should have worried her.

She could not bring herself to care.

Mechanically, Eve stood and, after looking over her mother one last time, picked her up to secure her to Kyanos's back as well. She set her right next to the future Eve—how strange, although Eve was still alive, mother and daughter still died together that day—and gently strapped her in, caring little for the blood that got on her hands in the process. After a moment of thought, staring at the two faces, Eve reached for one of Kyanos's packs and pulled out a blanket, hiding their bodies from immediate sight.

When they were both settled, Eve turned and yanked her mother's lance from her final opponent's chest. She took the time to wipe the blood off of it, noting its dark color against the cloth she pulled out, before strapping it beside her own at Kyanos's side. Finally, guiding Kyanos once again, she made her way out the way they came. She ignored the corpses as they passed by, barely noticing if she accidentally stepped on one or two. Kyanos seemed disturbed by them, their smell, their stillness, but Eve kept him calm by petting his side and crooning at him.

They reached Ilyas's body and Eve crouched, wondering what she could do. She could not lift him and Kyanos could not carry him, but she would not leave him to be buzzard food if she could help it. She loved him too dearly to let that happen.

She busied herself as she thought by tugging out the arrows still stuck in his body. When that was finished, she straightened his wings and combed her fingers through the knots in his mane. It was only when she was finished grooming him that she remembered a corpse that looked to be dressed in mage's robes left lying somewhere behind them.

Standing, she ordered Kyanos to stay put before backtracking, scanning the bodies along the way until she came across the one she wanted. She nudged it over with her foot and grabbed the tome that had fallen under it, pleased when she found that it was elfire.

Making her way back, she ushered Kyanos out of the way and opened the book as she faced Ilyas's body. She uttered a prayer under her breath.

It was something of a Plegian custom to burn their dead—especially in the more sandy regions where burials were inconvenient. She'd read before that doing such a thing was said to release the spirit, purifying it as it made its way to the afterlife. While she did not put any stock into such superstitions, she would honor Ilyas by using the old tradition. It was the least she could do, as she could not bury him.

When the spell was cast, she stepped back to watch the flame as it grew, consuming the form of her lifelong friend. He was the pegasus who had stayed with her mother through thick and thin; the only gift she had liked that she received from the Grimleal after completing her pegasus knight training. He was the one who helped them both escape from the cult and her father one night and had been there for them ever since. Eve rode on his back countless times, for fun and for safety, and confided in him truths that she would never tell anyone else.

He meant more to her than anything she could ever explain. She wondered vaguely if this was how Henry felt when his Wolfie died.

Head bowed, she gave another prayer for Ilyas before continuing on her way. With any luck, the fire would spread and destroy that sliver of forest, erasing the abominations still lying there with it, before dying. The rest would either be reclaimed by the desert sands or decay on their own under the Plegian sunlight.

Either way, they were not her problem any longer.

* * *

Eve continued traveling straight through the border she'd observed earlier until she was on Ylissean soil. There was no trouble, no patrolling soldiers to stop her, which was a relief. All she wanted was a nice spot to put her mother and counterpart to rest, and then she would leave to… wherever. She had little idea of where. The destination had always been her mother's choice, based on whoever she needed to get in contact with more in her spy network.

But Judith was dead now, so she could not make the choice, now could she?

Her steps slowed to a stop. Kyanos paused obediently behind her.

Eve looked over her shoulder to the pegasus, eyes roaming over the two women's bodies on his back. The sight of them made her feel as if she had been doused in cold water all over again. She whirled around as a desperate sob started to claw its way up her throat.

She had to be strong to prevent that dark future from happening. She had to be strong to keep Grima's consciousness at bay. She had to be strong to keep her promise to her mother to keep living no matter what.

But she did not feel strong.

No, what she felt was weak, tired, and all too alone. Where would she go now? What would she do? Her only guiding light was dead, dead, _dead_ and _she hadn't been there to save her_. She hadn't had the chance to tell her of the new development, that Grima was in her head or soul or what have you, and get advice on what to do.

She hadn't even had the chance to say goodbye.

Eve shoved her palm over her mouth to stifle the sob that ripped its way out, unbidden. Her vision blurred and she knew she was crying by the tears that burned their way down her face, but once they began falling she could not stop them. All she wanted to do was curl up and sleep somewhere, for as long as it took the pain to dull and ebb away—

"Hey! You there!"

She froze.

"Traveler!" the voice continued. "With the black pegasus! May we have a moment of your time?"

Carefully, shakily, Eve scrubbed away the tears on her cheeks, sniffled, and rubbed her eyes some more for good measure. Though she knew she was far from ready, she took a deep breath and turned to face who had called her.

It was a strange trio that hailed her, but she supposed that she'd seen odder traveling groups before. This one consisted of two men and a young woman. One of the men was decked out in armor and rode a similarly armored horse, with brown hair and a rather stern face. The young lady, blonde and petite in a yellow dress, sat behind him. The last, leading the other two despite being on foot, was a man with rather distinct blue hair in odd blue raiment—had it not suited him so well, she would have wondered what he was thinking piecing such clothing together.

They were approaching quickly from down the road, granting her little time to think about just why the blue-haired man's appearance struck her so.

It was only when he neared that she saw his right arm, and the mark that it bore. Or should she say "brand"?

"Prince Chrom," she said, unable to raise her voice higher than a monotone drawl. She bowed slightly, though her head did not lower, keeping the three in sight. "How may I help you?"

* * *

It had been Lissa's idea to approach the female soldier and her peculiar dark pegasus, having spotted them in her boredom riding behind Frederick. She pointed them out excitedly, noting she'd never seen a flying horse with that colored coat before, and urged her brother and their bodyguard to speak with her.

Amused by her sudden energy boost, Chrom asked what Frederick thought, receiving a warning of caution as always, before going along with Lissa's pleas.

The tan silver-haired woman seemed to jolt at the sound of his voice before lifting her hand to her face. Chrom's eyebrows furrowed at the action, but he quickly wiped the expression from his face when she turned to them. He pulled on a polite smile as he approached.

"Prince Chrom," she said as he pulled to a stop before her. His earlier concern sprouted up at the sound of her voice. It sounded so… dead. She bowed, which he returned with a tip of his head. "How may I help you?"

"Ah…" Chrom's eyes drifted from her to the horse behind her, resting briefly on the strange, covered cargo on its back before returning to her. "My sister, Lissa—" he gestured behind him, watching as she followed the line of his arm impassively, "—was curious about your mount. It's not often that we see a dark flier, even amongst Ylisse's pegasus knights."

"I see," the woman replied softly. She seemed to smile, a tiny pull of her lips on either side, but it was rather weak and halfhearted. "I… would offer for her highness to meet with him, but it would not be…" her voice faltered as she looked back. Chrom could see her eyes stay on the blanketed shapes on the pegasus's back and felt his unease spike. "That is, I must bury them… It would not be just for the young princess to approach beforehand."

Chrom could almost see Frederick straighten up behind him in alarm. "'Bury them'?" the knight repeated, voice dripping with suspicion. "Bury _who_, pray tell?"

It was because Chrom was standing right in front of her that he saw the unadulterated grief that filled her eyes. It was disquieting to see how hard she tried to keep it from her face, reducing her sorrow to a mere quivering of her lips as she tried to answer. He was just about to move forward, to tell her that it was all right if she wanted to keep her secrets to herself, when she replied, in a tone and volume that just about broke his heart, "My family…"

* * *

It was not entirely a lie, Eve reasoned to herself as she avoided Prince Chrom's gaze. After all, one was her mother and the other was herself, albeit from the future. They were, in all technicality, family.

Silence reigned between her and the traveling Ylissean royalty, making her curse herself in her mind for allowing herself to be so distracted. If she had just gotten to a private spot to bury them earlier, she could have mourned in peace afterwards and avoided such a tense situation. Moreover, she cursed her inability to keep a cool head as the urge to cry rose up again, even in front of these strangers. They did not need to see her pain.

"I'm… I'm sorry," said the prince, drawing her out of her bitter thoughts. She turned and blinked at him, partly out of surprise and partly to clear her vision of the traitorous tears. He shifted awkwardly. "For your loss, I mean."

Confusion bloomed in response to his words. Eve welcomed it, as it distracted her from her sadness. "Why?" she asked. "You had nothing to do with their deaths. There is nothing for you to apologize for."

"But still…!" He appeared rather thrown by her logic, looking back to his companions only to find no help there. His knight was still looking at her with narrowed eyes, oblivious to his master's plight. Meanwhile, his sister looked ready to cry for her sake. Curious. "A-Anyway, is there anything that we can do?"

Eve frowned. "What?"

"To help," Chrom said, as if it were normal for royalty to lend a hand to a random traveler on the road with the dead bodies of their family members. "You… seem a bit lost."

"Milord," the knight spoke up then, body still pulled straight and taut like a bow string. "I do not believe it would be wise to—"

"Oh, come now, Frederick!" the prince protested before he could finish. "I know it's in your nature to be so wary, but it won't kill us to lend a helping hand to someone who so clearly needs it!"

"Perhaps," Frederick conceded, "however, we do not know the circumstances behind her… family's deaths. It would be more prudent for us to acquire such information." He finished this by looking pointedly at Eve, who returned his gaze with a carefully blank expression.

The Ylissean prince looked frustrated, but otherwise unable to argue the knight's sensible words.

Eve shifted. "If it pleases you, milord…" she began, waiting until she had their attention again. "…then I would appreciate it if you could direct me to a reasonably peaceful or otherwise secluded spot so that I may…" She swallowed the lump that formed in her throat. "S-so that I may bury them without interruption. I do not wish to leave them like this for longer than I have to. If you could do that, I will gladly answer any questions you may have."

* * *

There was something of a relief that the woman agreed so easily to being interrogated—because that was what Chrom was certain Frederick had in mind to do—for so little a price. Of course, that did not mean he was happy at having to interrogate her in the first place. As nonchalant as she appeared, he had seen how affected she was just trying to speak about her family's deaths and burying their bodies. It did not feel right to have to question her about what happened when the wound was so raw.

But Frederick knew what he was doing. Years of experience would do that for you, and the Ylissean knight took his job very seriously. Especially when it came to the welfare of his two charges.

"…I'm sure we can find someplace suitable," Chrom said finally, with a defeated smile. He mentally cringed at his words. Suitable. As if he were talking about a place to live than a final resting place.

The woman did not seem to mind his lack of eloquence, however, nodding absently as she tugged at her pegasus's reins. The dark beast wandered closer to her, intelligent eyes peering over their group with, what Chrom felt was, detached curiosity. When it was finished, it snorted and turned away, seemingly dismissing them.

Before the silence could get any more awkward, Chrom strode away, gesturing for them to follow. "Let's, uh, see what we can find first. We'll talk more when we get there."

* * *

The entire way, Eve felt Frederick's gaze burning the back of her head as if daring her to try to attack them. She steadfastly ignored the looks, focusing solely on following the Ylissean prince as he led them along the road and into a nearby wood. She took extra care not to peer around at her surroundings lest she give them something more to be suspicious of, such as assassins waiting in the trees or some other ambush that did not exist.

Eventually, they came to a stop in a small glade. Just as she'd asked, it was far enough in to provide an ample amount of privacy for the soon-to-be graves, and quiet enough to be a peaceful resting place for her mother and the future Eve.

When the prince turned back, silently questioning if it was an adequate spot, she nodded and thanked him quietly. She led Kyanos further into the glade and stationed him to the side before pulling out her elwind tome. Behind her, she heard the prince back away as his two companions dismounted from their horse—their curiosity clear in the whispered conversation the royal siblings had behind her back.

Forcing herself to ignore them, Eve breathed in to focus her mind despite her exhaustion. Then, flipping the magic tome open, she directed the magic energy to the ground and began to hack away at the earth. It was not a perfect job, but since she did not have any other digging tools it was the best she could do at such short notice.

She kept at the work until the grave was deep enough for one body before moving back to begin digging the other. The prince and princess seemed to be exchanging quiet words now as they watched, but she paid them little attention as she continued her task. Sweat dripped down her face by the time she finished with the second grave, and her breath was slightly labored, but she was glad to have it done. The sooner she got her mother and counterpart in, the sooner she could answer the trio's questions. And the sooner she finished with that, the sooner she and Kyanos could continue on their way.

Eve rounded the two graves to Kyanos, gingerly reaching up to pull one body off of his back. She was partly done when another pair of arms reached in beside her to aid her.

"Sorry," Chrom said, though he did not stop helping her pull her counterpart's body from Kyanos's back. "You're shaking, so I…"

So she was. She'd hardly noticed.

Nodding, Eve said nothing as they both carried the body to the first grave. She was somewhat relieved she'd gotten the future Eve first, as there were no discernible (i.e. gruesome) wounds for them and the Princess Lissa to see. Though it was their choice to stick around for the grim business, she would have hated to taint the young woman's eyes with the wounds that littered Judith's body first.

Carefully, she and Chrom pushed the dirt back over until the grave was filled—a noticeable mound against the otherwise even earth. Eve sighed as she smoothed her hand over the dirt.

"…Are you ready?" Chrom asked quietly after a long moment. Eve glanced up to see his blue eyes full of sympathy. No doubt he saw the uncanny similarity between her and the body buried and thought them to be sisters. Twins, even, if he did not look closely enough to see the age differences in the lines of her counterpart's face.

She took another deep breath to calm her nerves before nodding. She hesitated, however, when Chrom stood up, ready to aid her with the other body.

"What's wrong?" he asked immediately, concerned when she did not follow him.

"The other… My mother's wounds…" Eve began before glancing at the blonde standing some several feet away with Frederick. "They'd be disturbing to see."

"Ah," was the prince's intelligent response. He paused as well, seeming lost as to what to do.

When it did not seem that he would arrive at an answer anytime soon, Eve sighed quietly. Straightening, she said, "If it would be all right, the graves… I would like to acquire flowers for them. Princess Lissa could go to gather them while we bury her, with Sir Frederick as her escort."

Frederick drew up to his full height in the corner of her eyes, hands clasped firmly behind his back despite his armor. "And leave you with His Highness, alone? I think not."

"Then Prince Chrom may accompany Princess Lissa instead," Eve amended, voice calm. She turned her head slightly to address the knight from where she sat, hands clenched on her lap. "Sir Frederick, I understand that you are suspicious of me, but I do not wish to start anything. I only wish to bury my family in peace, but not at the expense of exposing the princess to sights that she should not have to see if I can help it."

A tense silence filled the glade, interrupted only by the sound of the wind rushing through the canopy above.

Eventually, Chrom cleared his throat. "Just go with Lissa, Frederick." When the knight made a move to protest, the prince only smiled. "Don't worry, I'll be fine. I can take care of myself." He chuckled, though it sounded strained. "Besides, the sooner you both go, the sooner you can come back."

Again, Eve found herself subjected to a not-glare full of suspicion. She bore it patiently, if tiredly, as Frederick heeded his master's words and ushered the princess through the trees. She sighed when the blue of his armor disappeared in the foliage.

"He means well," Chrom told her quietly when she finally stood. His subtle apology.

"The royal family is lucky to have someone so dedicated watching their backs," Eve said in return. Her quiet forgiveness.

The prince smiled, truly this time. Had she the mind for such things, she would have called it charming. "We certainly are."

Together, they eased her mother's body off of Kyanos as well, taking care to keep it covered so that their hands were not contaminated by her blood. It was only when they set her down on the ground next to her grave that Eve gently removed the cloth.

There was a sharp intake of breath from the prince. She looked up to gauge his reaction and found him staring hard at the open gashes and broken armor. "What… How did this happen?"

Eve motioned for him to help her settle her mother in the grave, arranging the answer in her mind as he did so. When Judith's body was lying still in the earth, she said, "The first thing you should probably know, milord, is that my family and I hail from Plegia." Chrom's head snapped up, abruptly pulled away from his scrutiny of her mother's wounds by her admission. "You could say that we are—_were_—fugitives. We've been on the run since I was very young, and have not stopped running all these years."

"Running from what, exactly?" he asked, wary.

A wry half-smile found its way to her face. "I trust you've heard of the Grimleal?"

It was not a surprise that he nodded.

"For the most part, the Grimleal is seen as simply a religion in Plegia," Eve explained, feeling herself calm as she took her mind off of Grima's attack temporarily. "It is similar to how Naga is worshipped as a god in Ylisse. However, there is a… deeper part of the group that is much more sinister in nature. My mother and sister as well as myself… we were born into this inner circle. And at my birth, my mother decided that she did not want me and my sister to be the pawns that the Grimleal wished us to be. So we ran." She tilted her head up as the faraway memories washed over her. "The Grimleal were very displeased to say the least. They searched and hunted for us at every corner."

"…And then they finally caught up with you," Chrom concluded, eyes drifting back to her mother's still body.

Bitter, Eve closed her eyes. "Correct. We do not know how, as my mother had been keeping tabs on the Grimleal's actions for years now, but they acquired a vicious and talented hunter that managed to track us down and catch us in less than a few hours. We had little choice but to fight back. Eventually, he managed to separate me and my sister from our mother, calling reinforcements to keep her occupied while he dealt with us."

Lies and lying still by omission, but what else could she do? Any mention of the mental battle with Grima and the fight against the undead without proof would label her as insane, she was sure. "The encounter ended with my sister dead. She used up too much of her energy in an undirected magic attack and died of exhaustion, but not before taking the hunter out with her. I brought her body and searched for my mother only to find her in this state." She took a moment to catch her breath, the numb feeling settling over her again at her cold report. Before she could stop herself, she whispered, "I lost them both. I wasn't strong enough, so I lost them both…"

Something bright moved in beside her and Eve jumped, startled to realize that it was the princess. The young woman sat beside her, mindful of her dress against the dirt floor, a handful of flowers clutched in her hands.

Eve raised her arms to cover her eyes. "Milady, please don't—"

Lissa stopped her, sending her a shaky smile. "It's all right. I'm stronger than I look! S-So…" Her head bowed and she fidgeted under Eve's gaze. "So don't worry about something like that, okay?"

Slowly, Eve let her arms fall. Something told her that the princess was not talking about shielding her eyes. A tiny tendril of warmth pierced through her frozen heart at the implication. It wasn't much, but… "Forgive me… and thank you."

After one last, long look at her mother, Eve made a quiet decision and shrugged off her coat. It had been a gift from her mother one year, as well as an additional camouflage for her while traveling in Plegia for its symbols of Grima. A seamstress had been quite taken with Eve and her latent magical abilities (she suspected it was the dark side of it that so attracted her) and offered to have it made for her. Though Eve refused, her mother jumped easily on the deal and presented it to her with great pleasure. To return it now would be her apology for not being able to bury her mother in better condition, with her wounds still open and armor dull and ruined, as well as her vow to not run away again.

After carefully placing the coat over her mother's body, Eve set about to filling the grave with Chrom and Lissa's help, the silence far more comfortable this time than the last. When her mother was properly covered, she arranged the flowers Lissa collected on top of the graves into arcane letters. When the princess asked what the words meant, she quietly explained, glad to have something to distract her mind and hands with, that they were symbols for valor and justice.

In the end, as Eve sat to give her mother and future counterpart a final prayer, Chrom asked, "If you are Plegian, then why choose to bury them here, in Ylisse? I understand that the Grimleal has caused your family grief, but the relationship between our lands is not the most peaceful either."

"My family has not considered itself fully Plegian in a long while, Prince Chrom," Eve replied. "We've wandered through much of Plegia and Ylisse and Regna Ferox combined, and have lived in each for a time, however short. Plegia may be our birthplace, but it is not our home." Prayer done, she finally stood, dusting herself off as she rose. "Besides, as you said, the Grimleal is the ultimate source of our grief. To be buried here, in the heart of Ylisse, would grant them the best chance at peace."

"I see…" From his tone of voice, she wondered if he did.

Regardless, with her familial duty finished, Eve decided there was little to do than begin traveling again and letting her wounds heal with time. Beckoning Kyanos over, Eve bowed in gratitude to the trio. "If there is nothing further you would like to know, I will take my leave now."

She had a lot to think about, and she had the feeling that Frederick would like nothing more than to have her out of their hair.

There was no reply, just a nod of acknowledgement from Chrom and a sad look from Lissa. Taking that as her dismissal, Eve turned and made her way out of the woods, Kyanos shadowing her every step.

She was just about to step out onto the road when the prince's voice called for her to wait. She did, prepared for more questions.

What she got was, "Come with us to Ylisstol!"

There were no words she could think to reply with, so she settled for staring at him. What did he think he was doing?

"You've nowhere to go, right?" Well, wasn't he blunt? "And I doubt you'll be returning to Plegia any time soon after that attack. So come with us! You look to be an able soldier, if you can wield those lances even half as well as you can cast magic. The Shepherds would love to have you."

Ah, yes. Chrom's notorious Shepherds. They had a worthy reputation as fighters in many places. She had a feeling that even without her mother's information network, she would have heard of them some time or another.

"You would let me, a Plegian, into your brood?" she asked with no little skepticism.

"Well, you said it yourself that you don't really consider yourself a Plegian, so why not? It'd be better than having to continue wandering all the time, I'm sure."

True, but Eve was not so much concerned with her own words than the words of others. The moment that the Ylissean court found out about her origins, there would be controversy concerning spies and moles and assassins and everything else the politicians could dream of.

"Look, you don't have to stay if you don't want to," Chrom said, apparently sensing her trepidation. "We won't keep you if you feel that you would rather leave instead. But at least come with us and see. Who knows? Maybe you'll find a place to belong with us; maybe you won't. Either way, it wouldn't be a bad thing just to give it a try, would it?"

Briefly, Eve wondered why he was so insistent and why his knight wasn't voicing any objections. A small side-glance told her that he was certainly present, watching the exchange with a furrowed brow, but his lips remained sealed.

Still…

"'A place to belong', was it?" she mused, staring down the road before returning to Chrom's earnest expression. With something like resignation settling itself in her chest, she shrugged. "Sounds nice."

Chrom gave a sigh of relief as Lissa cheered behind him. Frederick's sigh was deeper than the prince's, and foretold of many headaches to come. Whether for Eve or for himself was uncertain, though she had a mild suspicion that it would be both.

Regardless, as they began to lead the way, filling the air with chatter about Ylisstol and how she would love it there, Eve turned his words over in her head. A place to belong. She'd had that with her mother, no matter where they went, but her mother was gone now.

A deep pang flashed through her heart and she stopped, turning back to look at the forest.

_Mother, Reverie, I'm leaving now._

"Is something wrong?" Chrom called from where he and the other two had stopped ahead.

Eyes still glued to the forest, pricking with tears that had yet to fall, she said, "Eve."

"Pardon?"

Finally turning back around, Eve smiled. "I never introduced myself, did I? My name is Eve."

There was a small pause of surprise, but it quickly faded when Chrom laughed, followed by Lissa's giggles. Frederick only sighed once more. "I guess we never stopped to ask, huh? How funny!"

Eve only shook her head and started walking again, catching up easily and falling into a steady pace with them beside Frederick's horse.

_Please, be at peace… and watch over me from time to time._


	9. Emmeryn

**Disclaimer**: I do not own _Fire Emblem Awakening_ nor any of the canon characters from there. As for any original characters that may show up, any resemblance they may have to others is highly likely coincidental. If not and they happen to reference some other character or fandom on purpose or by accident, I don't own that either! (Also don't own the summary quote, which is from _InuYasha_.)

**Other Notes**: This story is also being posted to my _Fire Emblem_ tumblr, **high-deliverer-eve**. If you see it being posted anywhere else, it isn't me!

Not completely happy with how this chapter turned out (kind of lost steam partway through), but I didn't want to drag it on when what I wanted to convey most was already down. The next chapter is already being worked on, though, as a result of writing it midway and then deciding it would be best separated._**  
**_

* * *

_**The Wings of Goodbye**_

**Chapter Nine  
**

* * *

It was right at nightfall when they arrived in Ylisstol, tired and eager to get to the palace.

Along the way, Eve learned that the trio had been heading out to patrol the countryside when they found her, having left just that morning. Frederick in particular grumbled about her presence disrupting their plans as they walked back to Ylisstol, much to Chrom's consternation. When Eve told them that they could continue with their plans, Chrom assured her that he would just send word out for one of Phila's, the captain of Ylisse's pegasus knight brigade, squads to take over.

"It's technically their job, anyway," Lissa told Eve in a stage whisper after Chrom finished his explanation. It was easy for her to do so without catching his attention given that both women were currently riding Kyanos. Lissa had refused at first when she heard of his injured wing, but Eve reassured her that it was mostly a superficial wound that would heal in short time with rest. The princess had been relieved at that, claiming that it would be a shame for such a pretty pegasus to not be able to fly again, much to Eve's amusement. "Chrom just likes seeing things for himself… and getting away from the stuffy advisors in the palace from time to time."

The streets were mostly deserted by the time they crossed them, but there were a few straggling clusters of people and individuals who greeted the prince and princess warmly with a respectful nod to their knightly guard. They almost always paused when they noticed Eve, however, sending her many a curious glance even as their small group moved away. Chrom told her not to mind it; Eve wondered if the siblings were always quick to try to alleviate others' discomfort or if it was simply a special type of pity she garnered.

Eventually, with little else to see in the darkness of night, they arrived at the palace and ushered themselves in. A messenger was sent ahead of them as they entered to alert the Exalt of Chrom and Lissa's return. Frederick excused himself briefly to see his horse attended to, stopping and adding that he would call someone in to see to Kyanos's wing as well. Eve thanked him, earning a small glance in return and a friendly reminder to behave herself in the presence of the Ylissean royalty.

"He means well," Chrom echoed his earlier words with a wry grin.

Eve sighed and shook her head while Lissa giggled beside her.

They did not wait long for the messenger to return, bearing news that the Exalt was finishing up a meeting with the royal council. Chrom and Lissa shared a look at that, the latter asking what their older sister could be in a meeting about at night. Chrom replied that he did not know, hushing her as they made their way through the halls. With nothing else to do and little else to go, Eve followed them, forcing herself to ignore their whispered voices.

Eventually, they came to a stop before two large doorways. The two siblings waited outside them. Eve stood awkwardly to the side, feeling wholly out of place.

After what felt like an eternity, the doors opened to release a group of mostly men ranging from middle-aged to somewhat elderly, though there were a few women amongst them. Chrom and Lissa nodded respectfully to them as they passed, looking beyond them for the one they were waiting for.

When the Exalt came striding out, graceful and poised and yet so very natural, Eve reflexively straightened. It had been one thing to hear of the relatively young leader of the halidom; to actually be in her presence felt like something else entirely. Just a single glance told the Grima avatar that she was not one of empty words or promises—she preached peace and lived it, practically _exuding_ it even when standing still.

"Hi, Emm!" Lissa greeted her cheerfully, stepping forward to hug the older woman once she came into range.

"Sister," Chrom's greeting was much more subdued, but the warmth in his voice was easily picked out as he nodded to her.

Emmeryn smiled, arms wrapping gently around Lissa to return her embrace before letting go. When Lissa stepped back, she said, "Good evening, Chrom, Lissa. We weren't expecting you back so soon—did you encounter any trouble?"

"Not trouble," Chrom said, looking over his shoulder to Eve, "just a potential new Shepherd."

If possible, Eve felt herself stiffen more as Emmeryn looked in her direction. It was not the Exalt's gaze that made her freeze so, but rather the eyes of the one straggling advisor behind her. The moment they settled on her, she could see the way his eyes narrowed in suspicion. It was so very like Frederick's gaze, but at the same time, unlike his. For while Frederick had seen a threat in her to the safety of his charges, he looked upon her with less scrupulous intentions.

Eve knew this because she'd seen that same look in the eyes of her fellow Plegians. The ones who gave in to the stereotypes that foreigners placed upon them to be just as terrible as the rumors made them out to be.

She had to force herself not to glare back at him in response.

"Hm?" Emmeryn hummed. Unlike her advisors, she appeared to be unburdened by suspicion and looked at Eve with plain curiosity. "Who is this, then?"

"This is Eve!" Lissa stepped in to take over the introductions. "She's a traveler! We met her along the way to the southern village. She's a pegasus knight!"

"Of a sort," Chrom added. "When we spoke to her, she told us that she was a wanderer and didn't have anywhere in particular to go."

"And so you invited her to join the Shepherds," Emmeryn concluded with a warm and knowing smile.

Chrom chuckled, expression sheepish. "Predictable, I know."

The three royal siblings turned when the advisor sniffed, skeptical as he looked over Eve. "Your Highness, as generous as that is, there surely must be a limit as to who you allow into your little band of vigilantes? It is one thing, after all, to include one such as the Lady Maribelle. It is another thing entirely to pick someone up off the roadside."

Eve frowned minutely. The tone of his voice made it sound as though she were a pet smuggled in by a mischievous child than a person.

This did not seem to escape the siblings' ears either.

"Hey!" Lissa cried, indignant. "It's not like Chrom didn't think about it and just dragged her here! We even spoke about it with Frederick and he agreed that we should at least ask her to come! And Eve accepted even though she could've just walked away!"

"Sir Frederick has his reasons, I suppose," the advisor's voice failed to gain any sympathy at the princess's words. If anything, he appeared even more doubtful. "But as prince and princess of Ylisse, you both should have thought more on this decision—better yet, you should have brought this matter to us before even approaching her."

"Eve would've left by then, though!" Lissa protested.

Chrom held out an arm to stop her unconscious advancement upon the advisor. "I understand the reasons behind your concern, councilor, but the Shepherds are ultimately a group that I formed with Lissa and Frederick's help. We take only volunteers for the cause and I only recruit anyone that I believe to be a trustworthy ally."

"And you believe this… 'Eve' to be trustworthy? Even though you've not known her for more than a few hours?"

The prince did not even hesitate. "Yes."

The older man balked. "Forgive me for the insult, but are you _mad_, Your Highness? How could she have possibly earned your trust in what little time you must have had to interact? Did you happen upon a bandit group and she saved you all single-handedly? Do you even know where she is _from_?"

Chrom did pause at that. However, before Eve could even think to intervene or suggest he not reveal it, he said, "Yes, I do. She is from Plegia."

In the short space of time before the inevitable explosion, Eve had the pleasure of seeing the Exalt blink in honest surprise and watching a person's face turn pale and then several shades of red before settling at an almost purple color.

"P-P-_Plegia_!? And you thought it wise to bring her _here_, straight to the Exalt!? Prince Chrom, you must send her away at once before she has the chance to send for—"

"I wasn't finished," Chrom intoned, voice firm.

The advisor's mouth dutifully shut in the face of the absolute authority.

With a small sigh, Chrom continued, "It's true that Eve is from Plegia. But, as she told us directly, Plegia is not her home. She doesn't answer to anyone there and hasn't for her entire life more or less." There was another brief pause before he added, "And Plegia's latest act in her life was to kill her only family, forcing her to flee across their borders and into our lands."

"T-That could simply be a tall tale told to receive your sympathies," the advisor croaked. "Without proof—"

"It's true," Lissa said resolutely. Eve did not have to look at the princess's face to know that she was sporting the same sad look she'd had on when Eve tried to walk away before. "And we know it's true because we saw the 'proof'."

Empathetic as the rumors placed her to be, Emmeryn moved closer to her sister, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Lissa?"

The younger blonde looked up imploringly at her sister. "Emm, what Chrom said—what Eve said—is true. Especially about Plegia killing her family. We… We found her and helped her bury their bodies."

At that, Emmeryn looked up again to look at Eve, who stared back in return. Then, ignoring her stuttering advisor, the Exalt gently brushed past Lissa to stand before her. "Good evening."

The Exalt's voice was so very gentle that Eve could not help but reply in kind, "Good evening, Your Grace."

"I am sorry for your loss," Emmeryn said. Unable to think of a proper response, Eve nodded in acceptance. "I hope that you may find comfort in Ylisse, for however long you stay here." The queen smiled, full of understanding and reassurance. "For what it is worth, you are welcome here."

Eve was struck by the memory of her mother's smile and had to forcibly steel herself to not start crying in front of the Exalt. She nodded shortly, lowering her head when she felt her eyes begin to water.

Emmeryn must have seen—it would have been hard not to notice at such a close distance—but respectfully said nothing as she walked back along her former route, before she had been stopped by her siblings. "It must have been a long and tiring day for you all, then. Lissa, go along and show Eve to a room so you both may rest. Chrom…"

The blue-haired prince straightened. "Ah, I need to send a message to one of the pegasus knight units to take up the route we were going to be on."

"Very well." Emmeryn nodded. She somehow made the simple action look more elegant and regal than if she had given a formal bow. "Shall I call Phila?"

"Please. Also, Frederick would probably like to update you on a few things as well."

The Exalt chuckled. "I'm certain he would. I'll have someone send for him in the meantime, then."

With both of her older siblings taking care of business, Lissa turned and led Eve away. They did not get very far down the hall before Chrom stopped them, calling their names. They waited as he approached, jogging slightly to catch up to where they were down the corridor.

"Eve, I… I apologize for telling them all of that. About your family, I mean. That wasn't in my rights to speak about and—"

"It's all right," Eve replied. "You did what you had to."

"But…"

Eve shook her head. "He would not have stopped if you hadn't gone to such extremes. It was either that or my leaving. For you to have said all that was expected and I do not blame you for it." It was a bit uncomfortable, certainly, but she found that she preferred the idea of potentially joining the Shepherds with as little secrets between them as possible.

(Her dilemma with Grima was exempt from that rule, of course. After all, there were some things that would cause problems and some things that would cause _problems_. The presence of Grima was, without question, the latter.)

The prince still looked unsure, but gave up with a nod. "All right. Goodnight, then."

"Goodnight."

"G'night, Chrom!" Lissa called as he walked away. "That dummy. He always acts first and thinks later. It's only when Frederick has the chance to tell him to slow down that he actually takes the time to think things through!"

"But only a short time," Eve guessed.

"_Exactly_." Lissa shook her head, exasperated. "Anyways, here, let's go show you to a room. Normally we have a place more set up for when we get a new recruit in the Shepherds' barracks, but you were kind of a surprise so we only have plain rooms available…"

"I would be surprised if you somehow foresaw my arrival," Eve said blandly as they walked down the hall. "And perhaps a bit unnerved."

Lissa laughed. "So that's your way of saying that it's okay, then?"

"It's fine, milady."

"Ugh, stop with the 'milady' stuff! No 'Princess this' or 'my lady that'! I'm just Lissa, okay?"

Eve felt her lips quirk in spite of herself. "Very well, Lissa."

* * *

The remainder of the journey to the room Eve would use for the night was spent in silence, which Eve found was somewhat surprising. The young woman walking slightly ahead of her did not seem the type to appreciate silence, as her bright personality seemed consistent with one who enjoyed filling the air with constant chatter. She supposed she should not assume, especially considering their unique circumstances. After the day Eve accidentally imposed upon their little traveling group, there was much to be thought about and analyzed.

Eventually, they stopped in what Lissa explained was the eastern wing of the palace, in the same hall as the siblings as well as the rooms of other established or otherwise honored guests and friends. She opened one door and apologized again for the "plainness" of the room.

Eve could only thank the princess once more, politely refraining from commenting that the room was extravagant enough in its supposed simplicity. It made her slightly ill to think about sleeping in the bed the room housed, too used to sleeping beneath the stars.

Studiously ignoring the room, Eve considered the day's events and called softly out her door at the retreating princess's back. "Lissa."

"Hm?" The blonde turned, expression inquisitive.

"If I may ask… In the conversation with the councilor, why did you defend me?" The prince she could understand. Reserved and cool-headed as he looked, there was a certain air of bullheadedness that surrounded him. The type that drove one forward without fail in order to accomplish something they believe in. Eve had seen such qualities many times in the various Grimleal that chased after her and her mother in her younger years.

The princess's firm confirmation of Chrom's (and therefore Eve's) words, however, had been something of a surprise. While Eve did not doubt the girl's natural friendliness and sunny disposition, she had not expected her to step forward in her defense.

"Aha… oh, that?" Lissa asked, sheepish as she scratched the back of her head. She made several steps back to Eve's door before standing anxiously, hands clasped behind her back. "Well… I just thought it was pretty mean of him to say those things, you know? I mean, I know as well as anyone does about the disputes between our kingdom and yours—your homeland's, I mean. But…" Here, she started to rock back and forth on her feet, looking to the side as she searched for her words. "You lost your family. I just thought about how I would feel if I… if I lost Chrom and Emm. You didn't deserve to be put through that."

Eve considered the young woman quietly. Then, deciding to be as honest as she was, said, "You should take care, believing me, trusting me, so easily. What if the councilor were right and I was simply waiting for a chance to kill you or your siblings? Like right now, when no one else is around to see?"

Lissa's expression faltered, just the slightest bit, and Eve felt an illogical surge of approval. She may have trusted her, but she knew when to be smart, too. "Maybe you would have been," she admitted slowly. "But I don't think you could."

Tilting her head, Eve contemplated her word choice. "…Couldn't I?"

The princess smiled then, shaking her head. "Nope! You're too… genuine to be a spy or assassin or anything else the councilor tried to make you out to be. You might look cold, but it's in the little things that you do. Like when you tried to shield my eyes from seeing your mother's body. Or let me ride your pegasus when you could've refused, especially since his wing is hurt."

Her words were so surprisingly insightful that Eve found herself unable to respond.

Pleased with herself and her words, Lissa gave a small bow before turning back around and leaving.

Perplexed and suddenly very tired, Eve retreated to her own room, shut the door, and fell upon the bed. She was out within moments.

* * *

The next morning, Eve woke up sometime after dawn. It was later than her usual time of awakening, but she supposed it was expected. Still, she found herself at a loss at what to do when she sat up from the bed, staring out the large windows overlooking the city of Ylisstol. She had little idea where anything was and, more importantly, felt extremely out of place surrounded by the palace walls.

Sighing, she decided to at least try to make herself look presentable. Careful examination of the room led to her discovery of a connected washroom, which she used to her advantage. She was still dressed in her flying uniform, however, and would likely have to continue wearing that until she managed to get ahold of her supplies from the packs on Kyanos's saddle. Once she was as prepared to face the day as she could be, she remade the bed from where she rumpled it in her sleep, pulling the sheets straight and fluffing the pillows until it was nigh indiscernible that she had even slept there.

Late morning found her sitting at the small table set up in the room, contemplating her choice in coming to the Ylissean capitol, when a knock sounded at her door. She gave permission to the one standing behind it to enter, standing attentively as she did so.

Lissa stepped into the room, bright and sunny after a night's rest. She seemed prepared to greet Eve when she stopped short, blinking confusedly at the made bed. Then, incredulous, she turned to Eve and asked, "Did you even sleep last night?"

"I had adequate rest, Your Highne—Lissa," Eve corrected herself, recalling the princess's mandate the previous night. "Thank you for asking."

The blonde looked doubtfully at the immaculate bedding before shrugging it off. "Well, okay… I came to get you to show you to the Shepherd's garrison. We would've gone there since that's where pretty much all of the Shepherds stay when they're not taking time off to go home or whatever, but it's a bit of a walk away so we couldn't last night," she explained as Eve joined her in walking once more. "Frederick and Chrom will join us later. They still have a few things to report and go over with Emm."

"The captain and lieutenant are busy people," Eve commented.

Lissa hummed in agreement. "Got that right. But they do a good job."

And, thinking back to the numerous rumors and tales spreading throughout the continent, Eve could concur.


	10. Shepherds

**Disclaimer**: I do not own _Fire Emblem Awakening_ nor any of the canon characters from there. As for any original characters that may show up, any resemblance they may have to others is highly likely coincidental. If not and they happen to reference some other character or fandom on purpose or by accident, I don't own that either! (Also don't own the summary quote, which is from _InuYasha_.)

**Other Notes**: No longer being posting to my tumblr, but Chapters 1-9 are still there. Anywhere else and it isn't me.

Also, I apologize for the late update. My mother died a short while after posting the last chapter and I've been a little busy getting my life back in order. Touching this story took a while because of Eve's similar circumstances, and it hit a little too close to home.

Also-also, note that this timeline takes place perhaps several weeks earlier than the game's timeline. In the original, Robin was found in a field close to the southern town after Chrom, Lissa, and Frederick are down there for an expedition (according to the official comic, which I saw at serenesforest). Given that they walk everywhere, it could take days to even weeks depending on their destination. Given that, in this story's timeline, the trio finds Eve moderately close to Ylisstol, only a few hours or so out, and returned before they could really make the journey, instead sending Phila's knights to take watch and report back instead._**  
**_

* * *

_**The Wings of Goodbye**_

**Chapter Ten  
**

* * *

When they arrived at the Shepherds' garrison, Lissa had only enough time to proudly announce it to Eve before a vision of pink and blonde just about _materialized_ before the princess.

"Lissa!" the woman called, all curls and lace with a parasol clutched between pristine, gloved hands as she looked Lissa over. "Darling! I'd heard of your early return and could scarcely stand the wait! Whatever happened? Did you run into bandits? Are you hurt? Because I swear if they harmed one hair on your head, I will positively…!"

"Maribelle!" Lissa cried, hands reaching out to placate the other blonde, resting on her shoulders. "Maribelle, I'm fine! We didn't run into any trouble. Promise!"

"Are you certain?" Maribelle pressed, giving the younger woman another critical once over.

"Maribelle. I'm fine. Honest." When she could be sure her friend—for Eve surmised they could not be anything but friends to incite that level of worry—would not spring forward again, Lissa stepped back and gestured to Eve. "We didn't find trouble, but we found Eve! She's our latest recruit! Er, sort of."

Maribelle gave her a small glance that could only count as dismissive, but others in the area that heard Lissa's words moved curiously closer.

"'Sort of'?" one man asked, amused. The look of his green armor, heavy enough to provide decent protection but light enough for mobility, told Eve that he was likely a part of a cavalry unit. He smiled when she caught his eye. "Nice to meet you, Eve. The name's Stahl."

"Likewise," she said, bowing her head.

He returned it in kind as Lissa nodded. "Yep! This is Eve. Chrom invited her to join, though it's not completely official yet," the princess explained, seeming to take great pleasure in doing so. "She's a traveler, see, so he said to give being with the Shepherds a try before deciding if she wanted to just continue traveling instead." Eve found herself subject to an impish smile at this. "I really think you'll like it here, though!"

The Grima avatar only smiled politely in return, saying nothing to confirm or deny. A part of her still wanted very dearly to leave with Kyanos and grieve alone, dedicating her life to the anonymity her mother had worked so hard to cultivate for her. Joining Prince Chrom's Shepherds would be rather counterintuitive, risking the chance of gathering attention with every action they made. However, another, smaller, part of her deep down whispered that it would be okay—just this once—to try.

"Say, you the owner of that pegasus with the black coat, by any chance?" a gruff-sounding woman inquired during the lull in conversation. She strode forward from somewhere behind Stahl, as if to emphasize the similarity between them. But while his armor was green, hers was a bright red to match her short and fiery hair.

Blinking, Eve nodded, though she denied outright ownership in favor of saying, "Kyanos is my partner, yes."

"Kyanos, huh?" The woman looked more accepting at her words, as if pleased. "Nice name. And nice to meet you, too. I'm Sully."

Before Eve could say anything in response, a somewhat timid voice spoke up from the side. "E-Excuse me, did you say that you were with the pegasus that was in the stables?"

Vaguely, Eve wondered just how many people were around as she turned to face the light-haired brunette. Her armor and hairstyle indicated some level of wealth, and there was a certain air of delicacy surrounding her that led Eve to the conclusion of a somewhat sheltered member of nobility. Her hesitant and almost naïve manner, however, was refreshing in comparison to the haughty types she had seen over her travels. "Yes. I am Eve, and my partner's name is Kyanos, Miss…?"

The other girl seemed stunned when she replied, as if she had not expected to receive one. "…Oh! Sumia! My name is Sumia. I just wanted to tell you that your Kyanos is absolutely beautiful. I've never seen a pegasus with a coat so dark!"

Sully chuckled. "Sumia here is a pegasus knight herself, you see," she explained at Eve's questioning look.

"Barely," Sumia added in a miserable tone. "I had the training and everything, but I'm really not very good… I don't have the experience in battle like the other Shepherds. I'm the very definition of greenhorn."

Eve wondered at the self-loathing evident in the pink-armored girl's voice. If she did not have experience and was a "greenhorn", as she put it, then it was simply a matter of getting experience. Everyone started somewhere, after all. No doubt, everyone in the room had been in her position at one point in time.

Still, it was not her place to say anything. Even if she had thought of something to say, Eve was thoroughly distracted when Lissa came bounding up, Maribelle hovering behind her in a protective manner. "Oh, good! You met Sumia! I was really looking forward to introducing you two since you're both pegasus knights in the Shepherds instead of under Phila's command." The princess linked her hands behind her back, rocking to and fro on her feet. "I thought you two might get along that way since it's something in common, y'know? And who knows? You might learn something from each other!"

Sumia sputtered, turning red as she waved her hands in front of her. "L-Learn something from m-me? Oh no, there's no way—"

"Hey, now, don't be like that," Sully interjected. "Everyone can learn something from others."

Maribelle sniffed. "Indeed. At least, that is _my_ hope. Somehow, I _will_ impart some manners into our more… uncouth members."

"Uh, Maribelle, I think we meant more along the lines of things 'in battle'…" Lissa said.

"Then I shall teach them finesse and elegance while beating our enemies to the ground!"

Sully laughed along with Lissa while Sumia stammered her way through the conversation. And what a strange conversation it was, Eve noted, mentally logging down as the subject switched from elegant battle styles to riding, which all of them were familiar with. Out of the five, only Lissa was without her own war horse or war pegasus, though she did have riding lessons on account of being royalty. From there, it became a conversation about their individual steeds, which Eve was drawn into as the other women pressed curious questions about Kyanos.

It was, perhaps, the most talking she had ever done with anyone. But she could not find it in herself to be troubled. If anything, it was pleasant.

Perhaps this was a bit of what her counterpart had felt in her own life, surrounded by the people she loved?

* * *

Settling in with the rest of the Shepherds was not as hard as Eve believed it would be. The women seemed to take to her well after "breaking the ice" and getting her to talk about her pegasus. The only one that seemed distant of their current numbers was Miriel, though Eve suspected that was more due to Miriel's preference for solitude rather than any fault of hers. Still, she was glad that, for the most part, the Shepherds welcomed her. A few were noticeably wary after learning of her origins, but she could not fault them for that. They were soldiers, after all. If they weren't at least a little suspicious of her in the beginning, she would be more worried.

Out of the Shepherds, however, the one to most quickly attach herself to Eve was, surprisingly (or unsurprisingly?), Sumia. The inexperienced pegasus knight seemed to take to her like a duckling, eager to soak in information as Eve wandered about the barracks. She had been reluctant at first, watching curiously from afar especially when Eve wandered to the stables to attend to Kyanos, but was shyly pleased when Eve invited her to walk by her side.

"I don't want to bother you…" Sumia began, but paused, uncertain, when Eve shook her head.

It was a bit lonely, being in such a new place with so many strangers about. Eve could admit that. But she would not say anything so self-pitying aloud. It was not her way. So she said only, "You won't. It's… nice, having someone to talk to."

She supposed there was something self-pitying in that statement regardless, for Sumia had given her a strangely assessing look. But she said nothing and simply nodded before chatting away. Whether it was about horses or pegasi, or fighting or life as a nobleman's daughter, Sumia spoke and chased Eve's loneliness away. It was a much different atmosphere than speaking with her mother, but she took comfort in it nonetheless. And she was grateful, too, for the conversations helped take her mind away from the painful recent events that would have plagued her otherwise.

The days passed slowly in this way as Eve acclimated herself to the Shepherds and the Shepherds to her. They still had a long way to go before they were completely at ease with her as they were with one another, but she expected as much should she decide to stay with them. And though she was still a bit hesitant about declaring herself a full Shepherd, she found herself leaning more and more towards that decision every day.

Shaking these thoughts from her mind, Eve decided that she would do more than simply wander around, waiting for some epiphany to strike her and formalize her decision. Whether she stayed or not, she owed these people, owed the royal family especially, for their kindness and hospitality. So she would repay them in the ways that she knew how.

"Sumia," Eve beckoned after the morning meal was finished.

The brunette immediately looked up at her name before smiling and waving in Eve's direction as she approached. "Yes, Eve?"

"Find your lance," Eve said, watching with some tendril of amusement as Sumia froze. The barest of smiles lifted the corners of her lips. "I want to train with you."

* * *

"Um, Eve…? I-I don't think this is a good idea…" Sumia called from the other side of the training field as she stood beside her white pegasus mare.

"It will be fine," Eve reassured her as she finished saddling Kyanos. His wing's minor injury was healed and she knew it was time to check how it was in flight. She knew he could fly alone without the extra weight after letting him loose to exercise the other day, but she wanted to test if he were battle-ready once more. From what she heard, Chrom sometimes had the Shepherds go on expeditions through Ylisse to observe the country's affairs for himself, so it would not do if they were unprepared.

When Sumia did not respond, Eve looked up to find her still fidgeting beside her pegasus. Patting Kyanos's neck, Eve led him over to the two before looking over Sumia's partner. What she saw pleased her and she was sure to let Sumia know aloud.

"She's strong," Eve commented as she patted the mare's neck. "My mother had a pegasus like her. I can feel that they are similar." At Sumia's questioning stare, she inclined her head to the pegasus. "Ilyas is—was—loyal and brave. My mother trusted him with her life and beyond, and so did I." She gave a sad smile as she turned to the mare again, petting her neck. "Trust in her. I'm certain she won't let you fall."

There was a brief silence as Sumia took in her words. Then, with a determined nod, Sumia said, "I-I'll do my best!"

"Good." Stepping back, Eve returned to Kyanos's side and mounted, gesturing for Sumia to do the same. Once they were both ready, Eve had Kyanos turn and walk to put space between them to accommodate their wingspans. "We'll work on some aerial maneuvers first and then continue from there."

"Okay!"

Although Eve could not boast of being a genius soldier able to whip any of them into shape given time and a prayer, she would do what she could to ensure that Chrom's troops were ready for his orders. That way, even if she decided to leave them in the end, she could at least say she gave them a parting gift that would continue helping them in the long run.

If they survived, anyway.

* * *

Training with Sumia was pleasant. Eve used it to refresh herself on the basics (and not-so basics) by running them alongside her with Kyanos.

Then training with Sumia became training with Sully and Stahl when the two knights, having observed from afar, decided that the moves the pegasus knights pulled could be translated easily to their horses.

Which then became training with Sumia, Sully, Stahl, Maribelle, and Lissa when the two resident healers decided to keep themselves in form by healing the others whenever they took a bad spill.

Then Vaike showed up, never one to be left out of training and becoming stronger, which brought Chrom in as his resident training buddy, which attracted the attention of Ricken, who brought Miriel in somehow… and, needless to say, the Shepherds' training fields were a lot more crowded than before. Eve had watched this occur with no little trepidation and found that she was not the only one. A certain wary knight captain was always looking over them with a critical eye, and she would be lying if she said she did not feel his gaze burning into her shoulders most of all.

"How lively…" Eve murmured as she shook the thoughts of Frederick's close scrutiny out of her mind for now. "One has to wonder how anything gets done when you're all together like this."

Lissa laughed. "We normally don't train together—at least not all at once. It's usually more of an individual thing. But, I guess, we all just got sucked in."

In the background, Eve heard Vaike crow out something involved a "free for all" and sent a vaguely concerned look in his general direction. The prince was there, looking rather exasperated. Young Ricken looked intimidated while Stahl was giving one of his easy laughs. They were then nearly mowed over by Sully, who laughed and teased them about not starting something they could not finish.

Then Maribelle went stomping over, prim voice raised just enough to express her displeasure at everyone acting like buffoons and warning them to keep still or she would be pressed to maim rather than heal them. They scattered regardless, much to her unending frustration.

"I think it's nice!" Sumia chirped. "It's not often that we're all together like this. I think some group bonding is definitely good."

At those words, Eve had to wonder whether it was truly an army Chrom had rather than a group of misfit friends banding together.

She never would get her answer, in the end.


	11. Trouble Rising

**Disclaimer**: I do not own _Fire Emblem Awakening_ nor any of the canon characters from there. As for any original characters that may show up, any resemblance they may have to others is highly likely coincidental. If not and they happen to reference some other character or fandom on purpose or by accident, I don't own that either! (Also don't own the summary quote, which is from _InuYasha_.)

**Other Notes**: Thank you to those who left a kind word of condolence (or a word overall). And to _yasulong_, that's actually an interesting idea. I've written smaller pieces to try to cope (one of which was actually a eulogy, I'll admit), but I think that's plausible. Maybe it was a subconscious thing to just try to keep writing, like I was sort of living vicariously through Eve to get over our similar struggles.

Fun fact: while writing this chapter and its action, I completely forgot about Kellam. It was on purpose that he didn't appear last chapter (which I wonder if anyone caught), but this time I actually did forget him. In the end, I decided to leave him out. He's, uh, watching the garrison while the others are away (but will definitely be around by the time his actual recruit chapter appears later on)._**  
**_

* * *

_**The Wings of Goodbye**_

**Chapter Eleven  
**

* * *

It was several days after the group training when Chrom announced that the Shepherds would be heading out, traveling southwards to inspect the villages situated there. Apparently, one of Phila's pegasus knight units had encountered a group of unruly brigands attacking a town. Though they took care of them and saw to the townspeople's recovery, the prince jumped at the chance to pull a closer inspection. Thus, information and his elder sister's amused blessing at hand, he relayed his orders that they would go as soon as they were able.

Once given, Eve watched for the first time as the Shepherds moved like a cohesive unit, easily packing their gear and preparing for possible battle. But, as she looked closely, she noticed that they were still chatting amongst themselves, more like friends readying for a day trip than comrades-in-arms. It was a startling contrast, how they could be so serious and yet so lax with one another at the same time.

Frederick's gaze turned on her then, dark eyes critical, and she decided that she would put it out of mind for now and see to her own preparations.

With an efficiency that surprised Eve, the Shepherds were ready to move out within a couple of hours, even with last minute checks for certain supplies. Once the prince was certain they were as prepared as could be, he turned and began leading them in their objective's direction. Those that traveled on foot wandered behind him, including Vaike, Miriel, and Lissa. There was also another strange addition to their party that bewildered Eve—the foreigner who called himself Virion. Self-proclaimed "archest of archers", he arrived in Ylisse not long ago and dropped in on the Shepherds, introducing himself as a mere visitor to the fine city. The fact that he was coming with them on this expedition was admittedly odd, but no one spoke up against him and so she supposed she could do nothing but hold her tongue.

Surrounding the inner group of those walking were the riders, including Sully and Stahl who took up positions a little ahead of the group on either side. Maribelle wandered closer to the group, given her role as a healer and not a fighter. In the back, Eve and Sumia took up the rear guard, their pegasi walking on the ground rather than flying in order to conserve energy. The only rider to not have a true designated position was Frederick, for the great knight often took to scouting ahead (Eve could sometimes see him moving about, seeming to brush something off of the road though she did not know what). When he was not doing that, he alternated between traveling near the royal siblings and falling to the back of the group, perhaps to keep an eye on her.

Eve worried vaguely for the health of his horse, but the brown steed seemed used to its rider being a busybody. If anything, it seemed to predict his orders at times, moving ahead before he could change his grip on the reins.

"Sir Frederick is always so alert. It's admirable," Sumia commented when he passed by for the umpteenth time in the last few hours. "I wish I could be so diligent without screwing something up."

Eve politely refrained from saying that if anyone were as diligent as Frederick, they would likely be dead from overwork and stress.

* * *

The Shepherds, plus Eve, continued traveling south for the next few days, but were drawn off course when a nearby village saw their traveling party and requested help. Prince Chrom, never one to turn down anyone in need of assistance, agreed to hear them out.

When they received the full report of the villager's concerns, however, the Shepherds were left unnerved as a whole.

"Did he just say…" Lissa's voice wavered after the villager had finished giving his story to the Shepherds and was now answering questions for further details from Frederick and Chrom. Her expression was wide open in its alternating fear and worry. "Did he just say _corpses_…?"

"Attacked by monsters that bore frightening similarity to that of decaying Homo sapiens, yes," Miriel affirmed, adjusting her glasses with a stern look on her face. "Fascinating…"

"Bah, who cares what they are? The Vaike is here now and no creepy crawlies are gonna scare me away!" Vaike declared.

Maribelle looked sorely tempted to roll her eyes. "Yes, because the mindless monsters the villagers spoke of would surely be afraid of your barbaric antics. _Surely_."

In her place off to the side with a nervous Sumia, Eve shifted in an attempt to hide her own discomfort. Living corpses that walked the earth and attacked passersby with mindless ferocity. The only time she had ever witnessed such a thing had been when Grima summoned them.

Unconsciously, her hand rose to rest on her chest, pressing down just enough to feel her heartbeat. In her mind's eye, she recalled the spherical prison that kept the fell dragon contained, and the magic writing that lit in time with her pulse.

Had he called upon more than just the one group that attacked and killed her mother? Did one escape? Were they able to call forth more of their own?

Was Grima's presence alone capable of tipping the balance so drastically in the world that they began to appear naturally?

From the history books Eve could recall reading about, the earth dragons were never very stable—at least, the ones that history decided to remember. Even if history books were written and catered to the winners, it seemed to be a universal truth that earth dragons were brutal. They hated humanity, and were said to view them as insects. Even after the war with the divine dragon tribe, the earth dragons were warned to seal their power into the form of dragonstones in order to avoid going mad. But they ignored the warning in favor of their pride and so were driven insane by their own power, which caused no little strife for the rest of the world in the years that followed.

Grima, however, was something of an abomination even amongst earth dragons… if he were even an earth dragon in the first place, as many speculated. There was none that was described as he was, and many viewed him as a creature sprung forth from nightmares before he was felled by Ylisse's first exalt. Some scholars liked to theorize that he was an amalgamation of earth dragons—that he was many dragons that formed together into one ultimate form. It would certainly explain his might, as well as the powers that he had that no other earth dragon was reported to have. But even then, the earth dragon tribe had wanted to take over, wished to establish themselves in what they believed was their rightful place above humans.

All Grima seemed to want was to watch the world burn.

And he had the power to do it. Had the power to ignore laws of nature to bring back the dead, bring them back _wrong_, and use them to spread chaos and destruction. If he had not traveled to the past, weakening his soul in the process and weakened it further by trying to take over her body, Eve had no doubt that he would have succeeded. That power was now contained, even in its weakened state, inside her own body, locked in the past.

Eve stilled.

The Grima sealed inside her was from the future.

_Where was the Grima of the present?_

Before she could ponder the question and its horrifying implications, Chrom and Frederick returned to the waiting Shepherds, commanding their attention as they approached. Eve quickly shoved the thoughts from her mind and schooled her expression as best as she could into placidity, even when Sumia shot her briefly concerned looks. She shook her head subtly as Chrom cleared his throat before them.

"While we're not entirely certain of the creatures' exact origins or even what they are, they are a definite threat. They appeared only recently, which a few villagers suspect was marked by the earth shaking. Apparently the ground shifted along one of the forests further south, producing the small earthquake and changing the environment slightly according to some travelers used to the area."

Frederick stepped forward then. "Our job will be to assess the situation as best as we can and rid the realm of these strange creatures. Because we do not know their strengths and weaknesses, we would prefer that everyone scout and engage enemies in groups."

There was a murmur of agreement before Chrom began assigning them their positions. Sully and Stahl would each go on horseback along the edge of the forests, with Miriel and Virion riding with them respectively. Eve felt it was a smart choice of the prince, given they would have mobility that way along with a fighter skilled in both close and far-ranged combat. His next decision sparked some furious debate, however, when he suggested that Maribelle leave her horse to ride with Sumia while Lissa rode with Eve. The frilly noble was indignant at the thought, which was only fueled by her worry at allowing the princess to fly up high in the air with the one near-Shepherd that hardly anyone knew.

"Lissa will be fine," Chrom said, "I trust Eve."

"But…!" Maribelle began.

Eve interrupted then, quietly explaining to the frustrated noble, "Prince Chrom's strategy is sensible. As those most experienced with healing staves, you and Lissa will be invaluable in this mission, Lady Maribelle, especially should anything go awry. By flying with Sumia and me, we will be able to get you within range of the injured much more quickly than if you were on foot or horseback." She dipped her head in a respectful bow. "I will not let the princess fall. If she is injured in this bout, I will gladly take whatever punishment you see fit. But I will do everything in my power to ensure that does not happen."

The blonde noble stared at her with hard, assessing red-brown eyes. Then, sniffing, she turned away, grabbing her parasol and staff from her horse's pack, and strode over to Sumia. "See that you do or I will have your head, I assure you!"

"Maribelle…!" Lissa groaned. She rubbed her face before muttering into her hands, "I'm sorry, Eve."

Eve shook her head, smiling faintly. "She is a good friend, to treasure you so dearly." She tilted her head to Kyanos. "Come. Let's get you situated and ready for flight."

As the princess moved over with an air of excitement and anxiety, Eve looked up to those remaining of their numbers. Chrom had decided not to bring Ricken who, albeit a Shepherd, was deemed too young to tag along. It left their numbers odd, but they seemed to make do. She blinked with some surprise when Chrom whistled over for Maribelle's horse, however, mounting easily and having Vaike pull up behind him. Frederick steered his horse over as well.

"Captain Chrom," Eve called as she helped Lissa climb onto Kyanos's back. The blue-haired prince snapped to her easily. "Where will you be stationed?"

Chrom shared a look with Frederick, whose expression gave nothing away when Eve glanced at him. The prince looked away first as he informed her, "Frederick, Vaike, and I will be traveling through the forest. We'll clear it of any of the creatures that might be taking refuge there."

That was incredibly, irrationally dangerous.

He was, perhaps, the most important figure in their entire unit, save Lissa and perhaps Frederick himself, but he would willingly dive into the dense woods with creatures that they had very little information on.

Eve took a deep breath, but nodded and accepted the orders all the same. "Understood. Be careful, Your Highness." Then, she brought herself onto Kyanos's back. After sharing a glance with a somewhat nervous Sumia, she nodded and instructed Lissa to hold on.

"Hold on to what?" Lissa asked, the air around her spiking with nervous energy.

The dark flier let out an amused huff. "My waist, Lissa. You can let go later, but taking off can feel difficult for your first time."

"O-Okay…"

Once the princess was secure, Eve sent another look to Chrom. Her mind flitted through his decisions in splitting them up to take care of the creatures. Though she could understand some and agree with them, his decision to go into the forest with only Vaike and Frederick, on horseback no less, was beyond reckless. They were accomplished fighters, certainly, but it did not take much for an advantageous situation to turn against them. Even with her and Sumia in the air, the trio may not be reached in time should anything go wrong. Sully and Stahl would definitely have problems making it in time, having to maneuver through the woods on their own horses with their passengers.

Still, it was not her place to say anything about their formation. When Sumia took off ahead of her, Eve followed. She cast a calculating glance back at their last unit as they flew, watching as they moved forward to the tree line.

"Lissa," she spoke up, loudly enough for the princess to hear her over the rushing wind.

"Yeah?" the princess called back.

"If you can, help me keep an eye on your brother." It was a grave announcement of words, she knew. Anyone else would be alarmed. You only kept an eye on someone if you suspected the worst.

Peering over her shoulder, Eve saw that Lissa had that very look of worry on her face. But it soon melted away into something resembling determination. "You got it!"

Eve inclined her head, feeling proud for the princess's bravery even in her concern for her brother's life. "I'm counting on you."

* * *

The extermination of the strange (and rather horrifying) creatures went smoothly, though there were a few moments of apprehension when they found that there were archers in their midst along with the sword-toting kinds the villagers had spoken about. Eve was not surprised, taking it as a warning to look out for more of them as well as the mage-types she recalled seeing in the group that Grima called before. The only one she truly worried about encountering was one similar to what she found lying near her mother. The truly barbaric-looking one with the strange mask. The corpses they encountered now seemed of normal build, but that one had appeared truly monstrous and strong. She was loathe to discover just what it could do, especially if it encountered one of their ground-bound units.

"There is a myrmidon ahead of you, Sully!" Eve called down from her spot a good distance above the running rider. "You should be closing in on him quickly!"

"I see 'im!" Sully called back, gripping the lance she already had in hand while Miriel steadied behind her, flipping open her fire tome. "Thanks!"

Eve scanned the field and parts of the forest immediately below her for any other attackers. When she was satisfied that there were none, she looked back over her shoulder. "How is your brother?"

"He's fine," Lissa replied. "They got attacked a little earlier, but they managed to beat it easily."

"Good. Location?"

"Uh… a little bit away from here, but coming in this direction."

Eve directed Kyanos closer to where Sumia and Maribelle were hovering. "How are Stahl and Virion?"

"Fine!" Sumia said. "Virion helped take out an archer. I think it was aiming for us, but he got it beforehand, thank goodness."

Maribelle only shook her head, muttering something incoherent under her breath. If Eve heard her right, she could just barely make out something about "flashy men and their flamboyant behavior", but as she was not certain she decided to pretend she did not hear anything.

Instead, she nodded, if a little warily. "All right. I believe our immediate vicinity has been cleared. Sully and Miriel are dispatching another on the outside, while Chrom and his team are making their way to them. You should go stay with them. I'll help direct Stahl and Virion the rest of the way."

"Okay." Sumia appeared relieved at the suggestion as she took off, Maribelle in tow.

Eve shook her head. She would have to do something to give Sumia more confidence in herself. But in the meantime… "Stahl!"

"Yes, ma'am?"

"We believe the area might be clear. The others are regrouping along the other side of the forest. You should get there, too."

"All right then!"

Eve watched as he took off, leading his horse around the edge of the forest to meet with the others. She kept her eyes and ears open as she had Kyanos trail slowly behind him in the air, just in case they missed one or two. Stillness and silence met her senses, allowing her to relax some.

"Hey, Eve?"

Straightening, Eve looked back at her passenger only to find her staring at something in the opposite direction of where everyone else was. "Yes?"

"Is that a person?" The princess lifted a hand to point at something in the distance.

Eve followed the princess's gaze. For a moment, she wondered if she were just seeing a trick of the light on the fields, but sucked in a breath when her vision closed in on a dark dot along the grasses.

It did not look like one of the creatures, even from afar. It moved too deliberately, too carefully, to be one of the mindless corpses they had fought.

A person.

Quickly making a decision, Eve ordered Kyanos to descend as they flew over to the others. The moment he touched down, she jumped off and turned to lift Lissa down. Chrom approached them, calmly at first and then speeding up when Eve returned to her pegasus's back and prepared to take off again.

"Eve? What's wrong?"

"There is a person in the fields, Captain," Eve reported, as fluidly as if she had been in an army her entire life. Perhaps she had been, small as it was before her mother's death. "I plan to get a closer look."

"Alone?" he asked.

Eve nodded. "If it is a lost villager or traveler, I'll need the space to carry them back. Likewise if they are injured. If it is an enemy, going with just me will allow Kyanos and I to pull off more complicated maneuvers that I cannot risk with most passengers, much less the princess."

Her logic was sound. There were other ways to go about it than her going alone, but the others were already tired from combat. Eve had spent most of her time in the air directing the others when she could in order to maximize their safety, picking off stragglers afterwards. She had more than enough energy to move alone, with the swiftness they needed lest they lose track of the stranger entirely.

Chrom seemed to understand this, though it did not ease his reluctance any. Had it been a less serious situation, Eve would have been humored at how the roles had shifted. "…When we've all regrouped, we'll head after you. That way, you can easily find us if it's just a villager. If it's another enemy, then you can know to hold on long enough for us to reach you."

What a kind prince. No, Eve amended as she looked to the Shepherds, who were all watching with varying levels of serious and tense expressions. They all looked prepared to move and help at a moment's notice, regardless of how little time they had known her. They were an army of the kind, in their own way.

Unwilling or perhaps simply knowing not what to say, Eve nodded and urged Kyanos to take off, looking ahead as they rose into the sky and headed in the direction they last saw the distant dot of a person. When they were up high enough, she noticed they had moved to the line of trees on the opposite side of the field. They were moving swiftly, most likely in order to get under the cover of the forest.

Eve pushed Kyanos onward, powerful wings carrying them over the distance in record time. As they closed in on the figure, Eve noted with well-disguised intrigue that the person was very blue, and that their build was rather young.

"Wait," she called before the youth could disappear into the shadows of the trees. Kyanos landed, keeping the space between them wide enough so that they could take off easily if the encounter went sour. Eve patted his neck to show her approval. "You there, are you a traveler?"

The blue-haired figure froze and seemed to debate with themselves before turning. Eve was surprised to see a strangely-shaped mask covering their features, though that surprise was dull in comparison to her curiosity at his chosen clothing. "You could say that."

The voice was low, but somewhat effeminate. A young man, then? Perhaps in his mid to late teenaged years?

"This area is not safe," Eve said instead of voicing her inquiries. "Prince Chrom and his Shepherds have cleared the area, but there could be more of the creatures lingering still. You should not be wandering here."

"I've faced them before. I can handle it." The boy lifted a hand to rest it on the hilt of his sword, which looked oddly familiar in its shape even from the distance Eve viewed it from. However, though the move was casual, Eve could not help but feel as though he meant to threaten her somehow. Something deep within her recoiled, but she forced herself to keep face.

"You know what they are?" she asked.

"I know what they're capable of," he corrected. His head turned just enough that she could tell he was looking at something behind her even with his mask on, but she did not look over her shoulder. Instincts flared, new and old, reminding her not to take her eyes off a possible threat. "Your… comrades are on their way."

The way he spoke made it sound as if he were doubtful, or perhaps challenging her to say otherwise. As if she did not have comrades or the idea of it were preposterous. She wondered if she should feel insulted.

"…The prince is among them," she told him regardless. She did not elaborate, merely letting the words hang in the air with a subtle suggestion.

The boy inclined his head. "If Naga wills it, I will meet him at a later point. For now, though, I have other things to do." He turned and prepared to continue on into the forest only to stop when she called out a final question.

"What is your name?"

He did not turn again, but there was a certain sadness that rolled off the soft curve of his shoulders as he replied, "You may call me Marth."

Eve watched as he ran off then, wondering why she felt both relief and inexplicable anger at the sight of his retreating back.


	12. Contemplations

**Disclaimer**: I do not own _Fire Emblem Awakening_ nor any of the canon characters from there. As for any original characters that may show up, any resemblance they may have to others is highly likely coincidental. If not and they happen to reference some other character or fandom on purpose or by accident, I don't own that either! (Also don't own the summary quote, which is from _InuYasha_.)

**Other Notes**: In case anyone's wondering about the Risen appearances, I like to think that a lot more arrived in the present with Lucina than just what you fight in that stage. Grima was hell-bent on catching her, after all, since she had the power and knowledge to prevent his resurrection. I also mentioned that Grima's very presence has an impact on the world thanks to being in the physical realm. He might be sealed away, but that's still a hell of a jump from wandering the ether like present-Grima is probably doing.

Also, the expedition through Ylisse's southern villages probably took the Shepherds a good week or two to complete, considering traveling times as well as recovery from battle. Just letting you guys know._**  
**_

* * *

_**The Wings of Goodbye**_

**Chapter Twelve  
**

* * *

"Eve? Did you find the traveler?" Chrom asked the moment that he and the rest of the company were within range.

They caught up to her where she stood at the edge of the forest, unmoving from the moment the boy, Marth, disappeared from view. She had wondered what to say when they eventually found her without the other. Should she have tried harder to keep him there until Chrom arrived? Or was it best to listen to the instinct that told her to let him run and get away?

"I found him, yes, but he went through there not too long ago," she said distantly, gesturing to the space in the woods before her. "He was not in need of assistance."

"You let him run off alone?"

"It was his decision." Glancing back, she saw the way the words struck Chrom; the way he tried to bring up a protest but could not and so let it die in his throat. She looked up again, peering into the darkened path Marth took earlier. "I offered to take him to you, but he refused. He said that if Naga willed it, you would meet again."

"Really?" The prince looked somewhat doubtful. "What did he look like?"

Still staring into the woods, Eve took a moment to reply. "Blue hair. Small figure. He looked young, certainly no older than twenty years. He wore a mask with a strange design that covered half his face, so I cannot tell you his features there…" A thought struck her and she looked down, pensive. "He wore a distinctive outfit."

"Distinctive? In what way?"

"It was reminiscent of an outfit that the Hero-King is depicted wearing in days of yore," she replied in an almost absentminded manner, thoughts flitting to the history books she had read while growing up on the road. "A noble raiment of blue and red… Fitting, that he should call himself Marth." She looked back, then, mind finally returned to the present. "I think you should expect to see him in the near future, Your Highness."

Chrom looked down the path that she had been staring at, contemplative. He gave a slow nod before gesturing for her to join the others as he called for their reports on the skirmish.

* * *

Once the village was informed of their successful mission and left with a word of caution to keep an eye out for any more of the undead creatures, the Shepherds moved on. Under Chrom's orders, they marched through the Ylissean countryside, visiting village to village and taking care of whatever problems that plagued them. Sometimes they were met with the usual bandit group, which were summarily dispatched without complaint. Other times, however, they would come across more sightings of the frightful creatures that attacked and killed without discrimination.

Each encounter left Eve feeling less and less at ease. After the third fight to exterminate a group of them, she settled down in her cot in the women's tent and meditated in order to observe the seal that kept Grima subdued within her. It was a simple matter of getting to the seal—she was highly in tune with her magic and so being drawn into her own mind was near child's play—but inspecting it was much more difficult. She had little clue on how to approach the sphere, fearful that one wrong prod would cause it to unravel.

But after a while of watching it from afar, she finally worked up the courage to rest her hand upon it, fingering the smooth archaic lettering that wound around the sphere. It remained solid beneath her fingertips, much to her relief, but she could not help but wonder if there were a way to monitor Grima within.

It was then that the walls of the sphere flickered and Eve jumped back frightfully, terrified that her thought on a whim had brought the prison crashing down. But the sphere returned to dormancy, as if nothing happened. Heart pounding, Eve reached a trembling hand and placed it once more against the smooth sphere.

The white dissolved beneath her hand, though she could still feel the cool texture of the wall. As the white faded, she watched, with no little awe or trepidation, as the fell dragon was unveiled before her, frozen in his magic prison.

He was asleep.

Gently, Eve lifted her hand once more from the sphere, watching as his form disappeared behind a wall of white. As she returned her consciousness to the waking world, she frowned, troubled. She needed answers that possibly only he could provide, but there was no way she would willingly reawaken him in order to gain them. The risk on her psyche was too great.

A terrible corner to have been driven into, if there ever was one.

* * *

By the time the Shepherds returned to Ylisstol, they had engaged in no less than seven skirmishes with the undead creatures. Minor scuffles with brigand groups were interspersed between them, along with a rather memorable encounter that earned the Shepherds a new recruit: a young farm boy named Donnel who, despite his simple appearance, was much more adaptable to battle than he first appeared. He was still certainly inexperienced, even more so than Sumia before the expedition began, but Eve felt confident that, with proper training and guidance, he could become an invaluable member of the Shepherds. She made certain to tell the prince as much, half-inclined to believe that, due to Donnel's young age, he would keep the boy from the field as he did with Ricken.

"You think so?" Chrom had asked as the midday sun beat down on them on the return trip. They were only several hours away from Ylisstol by Frederick's reckoning.

Eve nodded. She was walking in the center group, leading Kyanos by his reins as a tired Lissa rode on his back, chatting with Maribelle. "He's sharp. It was his first ever battle, yet he had quick enough wits to hold his own even when we did not have time to look out for him."

The prince turned then to the farm boy, who was chatting happily with Sully and Stahl, looking thoughtful. Looking back at Eve, he asked in a manner that was too casual to actually be real, "Based on your observations, what do you say his training should entail?"

Although somewhat suspicious of his nonchalant behavior, Eve took his question to heart and looked in Donnel's direction as well, green eyes assessing. "His build is not so bad, likely from doing farm work, so he has the strength necessary to continue training with a lance if he so chose… However, given his slighter stature than some of the other men, it would be best to teach him swordsmanship instead. He does not have the flexibility necessary to ever become a master, but he has balance."

Chrom hummed. "That sounds like a good enough place to start." He smiled. "Thanks, Eve."

In the hours that followed, Eve could not help but feel as if she had taken some sort of test.

* * *

The Shepherds breezed past Ylisstol, stopping only to stock up on supplies before returning to the garrison as Chrom, Frederick, and Lissa went to visit the exalt. Eve went along with the other soldiers, watching with no little amusement as Donnel was overwhelmed even by the soldier barracks in comparison to his small farming village. The others took it in stride, laughing away his embarrassment with reassurances that just about everyone had similar thoughts upon first arriving to the halidom's capitol.

"Really?" Donnel exclaimed. It seemed he only meant to ask, but his astonishment raised his voice well above the normal level. Many of the other Shepherds still in the room paid it no mind, seeming to take enjoyment out of his genuine emotionality. "All of you? I mean, beggin' yer pardon, but y'all look like you've been here yer whole lives, all decked out in fancy armors and such."

"Well, some of us have lived in Ylisstol for a while," Stahl said. "Sully, for example. And Lady Maribelle, of course. The rest of us came from pretty much all over." The cavalier lifted a hand to rub at his chin as if in contemplation. "My family runs an apothecary in a village a little north of here, for example."

"I lived with my mother and father in a nearby town," Sumia supplied somewhat nervously. Eve noticed that she did not seem to contribute to conversation normally on account of her low self-esteem. It was good to see her trying.

Miriel had apparently worked in a magic research laboratory—or library, it was hard to understand her words at times—before joining the Shepherds. Vaike came from another village after being inspired by the Exalt's words to become a great warrior.

"I lived on a farm, too," spoke a voice. Eve had never heard it before and so she jumped, alarmed, and spun around to confront the sudden presence. She was somewhat stunned when she saw a tall man in heavy, clunking armor take a step back in response. "S-Sorry! I was just… Wait, did you just notice me?"

Warily, Eve glanced back at the others still conversing before looking back. They did not seem to notice anything out of place. She forced herself to relax as she gave a polite bow in greeting. "I don't believe we've met. I am Eve, and you are?"

The man seemed a trifle exasperated as he said, "Actually we sort of have met, but I guess no one saw… as usual…" He mumbled a bit more before sighing, resigned. "I'm Kellam."

Before Eve could reply, Sumia glanced at her, eyes curious. "Eve?"

Distracted, Eve looked up. "Hm?"

Sumia giggled. "Donnel was asking about your story."

"Oh…" Eve turned back to apologize to Kellam and ask for a moment only to start when she saw that the space he previously occupied was empty. She had a mildly disturbing thought that she had either imagined the introduction entirely or that she just spoke with a ghost, but as she thought she heard the distant sound of clanking armor. Deciding to put it off to another time, she shook her head and looked to an expectant Donnel. "I am a traveler. I met the prince and princess on the road and they told me I could join them if I did not have anywhere to go."

It was not the whole truth, but at least it was not an outright lie (perhaps lying by omission, but nothing blatant and damning). Neither Chrom nor Lissa, nor even Frederick, seemed to care to reveal her origins themselves, so she supposed it was up to her. But considering how she did not consider Plegia her home, she did not feel it was necessary. It was only if the Grimleal got involved that she would consider it, but in that case she may just leave entirely to spare them the danger.

"A traveler?" Donnel whistled. "Have you been to many places, Miss Eve?"

Eve nodded even as she wondered at his use of a title. "You could say I've been on the move since I was little. I've been to many places around the continent." Some places much more than once, especially if her one of her mother's informants was in the area, though the visits were always greatly spaced out to avoid recognition and suspicion.

Her mother's informants…

That's right. Before _that night_, before Grima, her mother had been speaking to her of taking over her web of information. After years of maintaining it and meeting more trustworthy sources, Judith had created quite the network of information. Eve was always with her on the trips, though she only officially started meeting their contacts with Judith recently, and learned much about it in between their travels and training. As Judith had said, Eve could inherit it and continue it if she wished, but Judith herself was content to let it die with her.

On the one hand, Eve was uncertain she could ever fill her mother's shoes in such a way. Judith had charisma and social grace, which Eve lacked. On the other hand, however, as crudely as it had been started, Judith had created a truly stunning web of information. It would be such a waste to let all that knowledge slip away…

That said, speaking of knowledge slipping away—

She shook her head and looked up, waiting for the next lull in conversation to speak. "Donnel."

The farm boy jumped at the unexpected call. "Yes, Miss Eve?"

"When you've finished settling in, I would like to meet you in the training fields if you are agreeable."

Donnel nodded, looking very nervous.

Feeling bad that she spoiled his mood of bright-eyed wonder, she tried to smile reassuringly as she said, "Take your time." But by the looks of his expression, which was still full of uncertainty, she failed. She sighed, bade a small farewell to the Shepherds still in the room, and left to prepare.

It was relatively easy, given that Eve had more or less taken stock of the Shepherds' wares once she got around to seeing them. They were a small army—a faction within the actual Ylissean army. Though they were free to share supplies and often did, according to what she heard from Lissa and Sumia, the Shepherds often kept track of their own gear to use while in Ylisstol. It made things much easier, at any rate, since otherwise they would be forced to either travel back and forth between the Shepherds' garrison and Ylisstol for the army barracks or relocate entirely to a closer building. So, really, Eve could not complain.

Once in the small armory, Eve went about digging up some old armor for Donnel to practice in. She knew his general size from having observed him in the initial battle as well as on the way back to Ylisstol, so she was confident in being able to fit him with appropriate armor. Before long, she had a small pile of worn armor and safety pads used primarily for training in her arms, which she diligently carried to the doors leading to the training field. She set them down neatly on a bench that had been left there from the previous group training session (that had not been there before but mysteriously popped up halfway through—perhaps that Kellam fellow had placed it there?) before returning inside for another trip to the armory. This time, she went about selecting swords, selecting two wooden types of appropriate length and weight and then two with actual blades, if a bit blunted.

By the time she returned to the training field again, Donnel was waiting for her. He appeared lost, though he brightened up when he saw her. He jogged over to help her bring the swords over to the rest of the gear.

"What did you need to see me for, Miss Eve?" he asked as he set the swords down gingerly, leaning them against the bench.

"You could say that I would like to test a theory, or rather put one to action," she said. She held up one of the wooden swords. "Although your work with a lance is quite good for one without combat experience, your body type seems more in line with working with a sword or even an axe. This is no fault of yours—the lance or any polearm can be difficult to work with as there is a certain balance that must be achieved between the weapon's form and its power. You can often end up hitting yourself by accident with the wooden end if you're not careful."

Donnel's face flushed then.

Eve felt her lips twitch with a smile. "I take it that's happened once or twice?"

The boy rubbed the back of his neck, giving an embarrassed laugh. "More like dozens…"

"That's nothing to be ashamed of. We all had trouble starting out." Eve could not particularly recall any similar troubles when she began training, but perhaps she simply knocked the memories out of her head with the attempts. Or they were too embarrassing to remember. Both were valid ideas. "Regardless, while your current choice of weapon is fine, I believe you would be much better off by training with a sword in the long run." She pulled up the other wooden sword, holding it so that the hilt was facing towards Donnel. "Would you like to try?"

The eager expression on his face said it all.

* * *

Eve heard the footsteps grow steadily louder in the corridor as she worked, but she paid them no mind, remaining focused on her task. The footsteps came to a stop by the door. "Hm? Eve? You've finished having dinner already?"

"Not exactly," Eve murmured in an absentminded tone. "I've yet to go, actually. I wanted to finish…"

Chrom entered the room and continued walking before stopping by her side, looking curiously over the parchment she was all but scribbling over. "What are…" He paused, and she could just feel how perplexed he was by the short silence that ensued. "Are those training notes?"

"Routines," Eve said. "Ideas and instructions of tactical maneuvers I've seen from engaging battle at my mother's side. You can observe many things from the air, you see, and you could say I made a habit of watching, though much of my observations come naturally to me." She fell silent as she completed one last sentence towards the bottom before setting the quill down and setting the parchment aside to dry by several others like it. "You can read through them when you have the time, Your Highness, and perhaps implement them if you wish. I included notes on possible counters as well, so that the others can know what to do if it is used against them."

Chrom reached out for one of the sheets that had dry ink, looking over the words scrawled there. "You separated them by profession?"

Eve nodded. "It is more organized that way."

He chuckled. "Indeed." He spent a few more minutes looking over the paper, sometimes glancing at the ones left on the table, before finally setting it down. "Well, this makes it a bit easier to ask since I have proof of it all right in front of me!"

Blinking, Eve watched as he pulled a chair out and sat down, facing her. "Sir?"

His strange enthusiasm seemed to deflate at her inquiry and he sent her an odd look. "You know, other than Frederick, you probably call me by titles the most…" he muttered. He waved it off when she blinked at him, however. "Anyway, from our recent expedition, it came to my attention that you have a knack at commands and tactics."

Eve blinked again and then ventured, "I apologize if it seems like I'm undermining your orders…?"

Chrom shook his head. "No, it's not that. Actually, I'm glad you stepped in. A lot of your decisions probably saved them a lot of pain and injuries. Which brings me to my question: would you be willing to take the role of the Shepherds' tactician? While we've been getting by on my orders, there's only so much I know of how to command the soldiers." He gave a sheepish sort of laugh. "I can certainly help with planning, but when it comes down to it, I'm more the type to run into action than methodically think it through…"

Tactician? Surprise dawned on Eve's face at the offer, but she could not help but ask, "Why do you not ask another to appoint, like Sir Frederick?"

"Frederick is a knight. A great knight, and a captain in his own right. But while he may know what to do in his own battles, even he's a bit restricted in knowledge of how others work. But you, I think, can certainly think enough for all of us." Chrom gestured to the sheets of paper. "Having a mind like yours behind the forces could help us greatly. Especially since, as you said, you can observe the battle from above and relay better directions after getting a grasp on the situation."

Despite his earlier self-deprecation, the prince certainly spoke smoothly and logically enough to break Eve's initial thoughts of refusing. The fact that she had, indeed, handed him "proof" before he even asked her was also rather damning.

She sighed. "I suppose I could try…" She looked up and met his eyes, holding back a grimace at the sincere gratitude she found there. "I give my word that I will do my utmost to not guide the Shepherds wrong."

_And into death_, was what was left unspoken.

Chrom smiled. "I have faith in your abilities, Eve."

Eve frowned, mind recalling the first night she spent in Ylisstol and hearing similar words from his younger sister. "Don't have too much faith." Especially since she was still uncertain of whether or not she would stick around. If the Grimleal caught wind of her location, for instance, she would certainly leave to prevent involving them. Even if it meant being seen as a deserter.

In response, the prince only hummed. "But really, thank you, Eve. Now, since you're finished, you should go and eat dinner while you still can."

"Understood." Eve reached over to shuffle the papers into a neat and orderly pile when he stood, and she was immediately distracted by the sword hanging from his belt. She froze at the familiar sight. "Wait—Captain?"

"Hm?"

"Your sword…" She had heard rumors of the Falchion before, had seen it woven into tapestries or painted in old murals or even inked onto scrolls and history books. It was a famous sword, the fang of Naga, and looked very different from others. If she were right, then she had definitely seen it… "Are there any others like it? Forged into that shape, I mean?"

"The Falchion?" Chrom asked, looking down. When Eve nodded, he appeared to give it some thought before shaking his head. "I don't believe so. I've heard and read about attempts to recreate its shape, but they were never successful or performed poorly in combat." Any others were likely created to be ornamental pieces at best, then, Eve concluded. "Why do you ask?"

Though she was loathe to share something that was only speculation, she answered, "The boy I encountered at the first village, Marth… He seemed to carry something similar. I did not get a good look at it, though, so it might have just been my imagination."

The look on Chrom's face was as skeptical as she felt. The Falchion's design was so incredibly distinctive that mistaking it for any other blade was close to impossible.

"…I suppose if we really do meet again, we'll just have to wait and see," Chrom said finally.

Eve nodded, though her mind was now preoccupied with other things.

During her and Reverie's fight with Grima, Reverie had shouted numerous things in order to get under the fell dragon's skin. Eve had paid them no mind as she had been distracted by more important things at the time. But now she could hear them floating around in her mind, bouncing to and fro and echoing until she had no choice but to listen to them.

Though they never gave any more details, it was clear that Grima's travel to the past had not been done by his own power, but rather Naga's. And Naga had opened the path to the past for another, whom Grima had followed. A single name was mentioned. _Lucina_.

The boy Eve met was calm and curt, but clearly driven. And he was well-acquainted with the undead creatures.

"_I've faced them before. I can handle it," _he had said, followed by, _"I know what they're capable of."_

Neither Eve nor any of the others had ever seen or heard of these creatures until Grima summoned them, even if she was the only one knowledgeable of Grima's involvement. Was it possible that…?

Yes. It certainly was. But she could not make conclusions until she had more information. Her mother taught her that much.

Though a part of her still recoiled oddly at the thought of crossing paths with "Marth" again, she could not help but look forward to this supposed fated meeting, wherever and whenever it would take place. Perhaps it would finally give her at least a few answers that she sought.


	13. The Journey North

**Disclaimer**: I do not own _Fire Emblem Awakening_ nor any of the canon characters from there. As for any original characters that may show up, any resemblance they may have to others is highly likely coincidental. If not and they happen to reference some other character or fandom on purpose or by accident, I don't own that either! (Also don't own the summary quote, which is from _InuYasha_.)

**Other Notes**: Friendly reminder that, even with certain plot divergences, many of the plot elements you know and love from the game will still appear here, if slightly altered. It's a belief of mine that there are certain pieces of fate that cannot be changed—even if different actions are taken along the way, the world will still push certain events to occur because they are meant to. _Awakening_ seems to believe the same: Emmeryn's fate comes to mind in this instance, as horrible as it sounds.

Also, since everyone seems curious, endgame pairing will likely be **Eve x Henry** (I bet I just lost a lot of readers just for that, ha). While I love Avatar x Chrom a lot for its impact on the game's plot, this fic's plot demands a different pairing, especially when the children are introduced. That being said, Chrom will likely end up with Sumia. I might've lost my remaining readers for that, but c'est la vie. Sumia is amazing and probably my favorite of the female characters, so haters will be summarily ignored._**  
**_

* * *

_**The Wings of Goodbye**_

**Chapter Thirteen  
**

* * *

Eventually, Chrom got around to informing the Shepherds of the results of his talk with his sister and, subsequently, the Ylissean council. It had been a long and tiring discussion about the threat the undead creatures, now named Risen, posed, especially considering there were so many unknown factors about them. Where did they come from? How many variants existed? What were their numbers? Neither Chrom nor anyone else could answer sufficiently and so there were many arguments that rose for certain solutions.

Not one to waste time relaying all of the details from the meeting, Chrom said only that the council eventually decided that that they needed to combat the threat as best as they could. The Risen attacked indiscriminately and were already wandering the Ylissean countryside—not many could advocate sitting back and watching without being accused of selfishness. The Exalt would never allow it, at any rate. Her people were in danger and she would not allow their suffering to continue.

However, there was no denying that the situation was quickly becoming too large for Ylisse alone to deal with. It was deemed it would be safer for all the realm if they were to recruit others to their cause.

"We'll be traveling north," Chrom announced in the end. "To Regna Ferox. We're to meet with the khans in hopes of acquiring aid. We'll also be taking this time to collect more information as we travel. The more we can supply, the better our chances."

It was a smart move, though Eve found herself doubting it a little. Regna Ferox was a land that she and her mother had visited less often than Plegia and Ylisse on account of the cooler weather, but what she knew about the place was that it was vastly different. Their politics, for instance, were not exactly orthodox. Strength meant power there. Diplomacy was appreciated, certainly, but it was almost guaranteed that, to be accepted, one needed to show their worth in battle.

Perturbed, Eve brought this information up to Chrom after seeking him out as the rest of the Shepherds prepared for travel once more.

"I'm aware of that," he said in a weary tone when she finished. He sent her a sardonic smile. "Guess it would be too much for me to hope that they'd listen to reason first thing?"

"I wouldn't say that…" Eve replied. Their politics could be a little barbaric at times, but they were not barbarians themselves. Usually. "I would just say that it would not be unexpected if they told you to earn their aid by fighting, somehow."

"'Actions speak louder than words', huh?" Chrom said in a dry tone. When Eve could only nod in a helpless manner, he sighed again, running a hand over his face. "Well, if it comes down to it, we'll do what we can. Hopefully it won't take too long, but the council was insistent on acquiring their aid…"

And if the council wanted it, they were likely heaping tons of pressure on the prince's shoulders for negotiations to pull through. Not to mention the fact that the Exalt was likely hoping for the same, though she would never outright tell her brother so. No, she would likely keep faith in him and his small army—even if that faith was a burden to carry all on its own.

Eve felt pity for the prince. "I'll think of something if we do have to fight, Your Highness. I've been to Ferox a few times before, so I am at least somewhat familiar with their techniques and strategies."

Chrom smiled back at her, but his attention shifted to something behind her before he could say anything. "Did you need something, Frederick?"

Turning, Eve found the Shepherds' lieutenant standing as properly as ever at the door, armor gleaming in the faint light of the room. "No, sire. I am simply making rounds to ensure that everyone is properly packed for the journey…?"

"Always so wary, Frederick." Chrom chuckled. "Don't worry. Eve and I were just going over some details regarding Regna Ferox and their customs."

Although Chrom was relaxed, Eve still felt somewhat tense around the captain of the knights. Though they had been in one another's company for several weeks now, she could not help but feel as if she were still on trial around the man. He never seemed to disapprove outright, or criticize or mock her in any way, but the subtle body language he gave when around her told her all she needed to know. She was not an enemy—but she was far from a friend or reliable ally.

It was vexing, but she could understand why he was so cautious. Plegians and Ylisseans were more or less arch enemies, regardless of who was a victim or who started what war. Even if Chrom's father had instigated the crusades that killed many of Plegia's people, the Mad King Gangrel was hardly helping matters with his actions now and in the recent past.

Still, she resolved to do something about it. It would not do for the prince's lieutenant and his tactician to be unable to trust one another.

Straightening, Eve bowed first to Chrom and then to Frederick. "I will take my leave now, Your Highness. Sir Frederick." When neither denied her exit, she calmly walked out of the room before making her way to pack her own supplies.

She had much to think about.

* * *

The journey north started off with a bang as the Shepherds encountered another group of Risen just as they were approaching a river. It wasn't a very large group, but there were enough to put the Shepherds on edge. After all, they had only seen the things in the southern half of Ylisse thus far. To see how far they've roamed north was cause for concern.

Eve put that thought out of her mind for now, focusing instead on guiding the Shepherds through the battle as she had promised Chrom. It was her first (official, anyway) battle as their tactician and, although she knew how to compartmentalize the pressure and her feelings on the matter, she still felt the nerves start to creep up on her. Still, she forced herself to keep her mind on the battle, taking note of the immediate positions of the Risen closest to their party.

"We'll split up," she decided first. "One group will take the eastern side of the road while the other takes the western." With a quick glance around her, she split them up. "Sir Frederick, stay with the captain, please. Sully and Miriel will follow you to provide backup. Lady Maribelle, follow them at a distance. Sumia, stay with her." They would wander along the western half. As for the east… "Stahl, take Donnel with you, but move slowly so that Kellam and Virion can follow you on foot. The area is also more wooded than the other side, providing ample cover and more of a risk of ambush. Vaike, please watch out for Lissa. You both will provide support if necessary, so stay within range, but not close enough to be targeted immediately."

The blond man grumbled at not being able to get into the action, but agreed nonetheless.

"Wait, what about you, Eve?" the princess asked when she noticed the odd number.

Eve managed a smile. "I will be fine."

"But that's…" Lissa began, only to fall silent with a reluctant nod. This was not the time to be raising arguments, she knew.

"We will rendezvous at the bridge," Eve continued eventually. "Try not to be spotted by anything that may be lurking on the other side of the river if you make it there before the other group does. Take the time to recover and we'll work from there." There was a murmur of agreement and Eve turned to Chrom. "Anything you'd like to add, Captain?"

"Nothing that you haven't covered so far," he said. "I assume you'll be watching from the air?"

"As much as I can."

"Then you be careful, too."

When Eve nodded in acquiescence, Chrom gave the signal to move out. Each group then quickly congregated together on their respective sides of the road, finding their partner to stick by. Once they found they were ready, they moved forward under Eve's watchful eyes.

Once they were an even distance away, Eve nudged Kyanos forward, leaning forward as he took to the air. With a smooth movement, she unclipped the tome she kept in its holster at her back, flipping it open with practiced ease. It was not a powerful tome by any means—wind was usually the weaker of the elements, anyway—but it would do its job. Urging Kyanos to race through the skies, she had them bank through the air before targeting one of the Risen that stood in her allies' way.

With a movement of her arm, she directed the blade of wind forward, watching as it manifested itself in a glow of green before striking its target. The Risen stumbled forward with an unearthly groan before righting itself again, damaged but not downed. It turned slightly and seemed to track her and Kyanos's movements with its eerie, glowing eyes, but it made no move to try and attack her back. Instead, it returned back to its original course, moving mindlessly forward with its comrades towards the other Shepherds.

So they did possess some level of thought process, Eve concluded as she watched it flee from her. Although she was alone and they were in groups, they knew it was easier for them to attack anyone on the ground. It would be different, she supposed, if any of them had a bow or were capable of magic. But still, the knowledge that they targeted anyone that was within their range would help. If necessary, she could use it to guide the Shepherds more easily, luring the Risen out rather than going directly for them.

Considering how they operated, it would be best to work defensively anyway. There was no reason to rush in straight on the offensive when the enemy was already doing just that.

* * *

The plan worked as smoothly as Eve could have hoped, with both groups meeting at the abandoned forts just before the bridge. Chrom's group had made it first with little damage—according to Sumia, Frederick was quite hardy and that his strength was not just for show. Any Risen that he and Chrom failed to finish off were summarily dispatched by Sully or Miriel. Stahl's group, on the other hand, had a few close calls in which the Risen approached with surprising swiftness. Donnel had not made it out entirely unscathed, but Kellam proved to be an unbreakable shield after that point—even if his allies did not always remember he was even there. Still, they made it without any serious or complicated wounds and, with Maribelle and Lissa's help, what injuries they did sustain were easily taken care of.

At the moment, they decided to take a rest at the forts while planning their next moves. Eve gazed out from the top of one of the buildings as the others rested below, awaiting orders.

"You look troubled," Chrom said lightly as he stopped beside her.

"I'm just thinking," Eve replied. Years of flying on the back of a pegasus made it easy for her to spot things from great distances, which she used to her advantage now. She could see the Risen that wandered the other side of the river, seemingly docile had it not been for the weapons they carried. "They're split again along the sides of the road, but the area is much less wide than this area. We won't be able to split up easily without possibly attracting all attention to one group."

"So they can switch targets if they want to?"

Eve nodded. "Usually whomever they seem to find weaker, or alone and within range of attack." She shook her head. "We'll lure them. It'll take time, but it's better than risking the chance of anyone being surrounded by all sides."

Chrom hummed in thought. "We can use the bridge. Place it at our backs. I doubt any of them can swim or otherwise traverse the water."

"Indeed. Sumia and I will help pick any of them off if we can." If she recalled correctly, Eve saw Kellam holding a javelin earlier. It was possible she could get Sumia to handle it so she could attack from a range rather than just up close with her lance.

"Will she be okay?" Chrom asked, voice somewhat doubtful.

Eve did not blame him. Sumia was trained, yes, but rarely seemed to attack unless specifically told to, which she carried out with great reluctance. Even more, her severe lack of faith in herself could be dangerous. Yet, she was improving with each battle. Before long, it would not be a surprise to Eve if Sumia became one of the Shepherds' strongest assets.

"She'll be fine," Eve said with conviction.

If Chrom was surprised by her faith, he said nothing of it. Instead, he simply nodded and made his way back down to where the others were waiting, ready to relay Eve's plans.

* * *

The second half of the battle went as smoothly as the first—in other words, generally fine with only a few scares here and there. Thankfully, the healing staves kept them whole and hale until the onslaught trickled off.

It was only as the company began moving again along the road that Eve noticed that the battle was not yet over. From her spot next to Sumia at the front of the walking group (with the three mounted knights in the back), she halted Kyanos. Holding out her arm, she signaled for the others to still, head tilted to the side as she listened.

It was eerily quiet even amongst the trees that they passed by. There was no sign of animal life anywhere.

"Eve?" Sumia asked just as Eve heard it—the rasping breath of a throat half-rotted.

"Everybody down!" Eve shouted even as she directed Kyanos to leap forward, reaching to the side to grab Sumia's reins and take her and her pegasus with them. There were shouts of confusion and alarm behind them as everyone ducked just in time for a curved blade to go sailing over where their heads had just been. Eve turned to where the blade had been thrown from, jumping from Kyanos's back as she took out her wind tome once more.

The barest hint of discolored skin in the shadows of the trees gave her a target, and she threw the magic out as if it were a physical blade. A snarl met her ears at the attempt and she saw as the Risen jumped down from its perch in the trees, running straight for them. It was fast.

But wind magic was faster.

Keeping her cool, Eve shot out another spell even as Chrom darted past her, chasing the wind, Falchion gleaming in the sunlight that peeked in through the leaves. He swung, aiming high and slicing the Risen across the chest.

It jerked, black blood spraying from the wounds of both blades, before collapsing with a guttural groan.

Silence rushed in as the action suddenly ended, but it was quickly broken by the concerned calls of the other Shepherds. Chrom paid them no mind, offering only a reassuring smile when asked after his health, before inspecting the new corpse that laid in their way. He made a thoughtful sound even as he backed away, saying, "That's a new one."

Eve stared at the Risen, horrible memories threatening to overflow at the sight of it. For even if the others had never seen one like it before, she had. It might not have been animated at the time, but she would never forget the appearance of the thing that killed her mother.

Swallowing down bile, Eve motioned for everyone to step back before severing its head from its body with a well-aimed wind spell. For insurance, she told them.

And partly for petty, useless revenge, she neglected to add.

* * *

When the path was finally deemed clear and relatively safe, the Shepherds continued their trek north, vigilant if a bit tired from the fighting. With only a little persuasion, Chrom agreed that they would set up camp soon, knowing that they would be better prepared for any confrontations at the border fort if they were rested. Still, this did not dissuade him from marching them on until they reached the next village. Part of their reason for traveling north _was_ to gather more information, after all.

So, as part of the Shepherds were left to attend to and set up camp, another part went into the village to stock up on any supplies as well as to acquire what data they could. Though Eve was partial to being part of the former group, content to do her part of the labor, she paused when she heard the name of the village. It was no surprise that it was Frederick's keen gaze that caught her hesitance almost straight away. Further, she could not fault him for questioning her about it, thankful only that he did so away from the hearing of the others.

She seemed to have gained some modicum of respect from him in the previous battle, then. That was a warming thought.

"Before she died, my mother had built up an extensive web of information," Eve admitted with no little reluctance. She still was not quite at ease with the decision to go through with her inheritance, but information was a powerful thing to have in one's hands. To waste the opportunity to acquire more of it was, in Eve's eyes, rather deplorable. So, really, Eve's choice was clear in the matter, regardless of her lack of faith in herself to maintain it properly. "That is to say, she had contacts around to gather information on numerous things, though the most important would be sightings of the Grimleal…"

Frederick's dark eyes gave none of his emotions away, but they were calm and assessing, reading between the lines to what she wanted to say. "One of said contacts is in this village, I presume."

Eve nodded. "If the Risen showed up here and there was anything to know about them, it's possible that they would have found something out."

There was another rather stoic beat of silence as she waited for his decision. She felt herself relax when he nodded. "Whatever knowledge we can acquire to present to the council and Her Majesty will be welcomed. Just remember to report it properly and all will be well."

"Of course." It was unlikely that Eve could do anything with the information alone, at any rate. "Thank you, Sir Frederick."

The knight only nodded.

Taking the dismissal as it was intended, Eve set off to the village after the others, looking casually around but ultimately ignoring the small crowds of people and the busy market stalls in favor of the house her mother pressed her to memorize. Once she was standing in front of the door, she took a moment to steel herself before knocking, first in a staccato beat before shifting into a deceptively measured rhythm that tapered off in an almost uncertain manner. When Judith had explained it to Eve upon teaching her, she had said it was to give the illusion of one who was confident they had the right house in mind, but became nervous that they weren't. It made the questioning that followed sound more natural, apparently.

She heard something shift behind the door before a voice called out, "Yes? Who is it?"

Taking a breath, Eve answered in a faint yet cheerful voice, "I-It's me!"

"Oh?" the voice sounded amused. "What do you want, then?"

Eve gave an embarrassed laugh. "To find my way?" Then, in a gentler tone, "Though actually seeing my friend would be nice, too."

There was a moment's pause, but then the door opened. A woman perhaps a little older than her mother had been stood in the doorway, her features plain and forgettable and all the more dangerous for being so. A man stood some ways behind her, hand easing away from where Eve had no doubt he kept a hidden blade on his person. There was a slight widening of the woman's eyes at the sight of Eve, though it was gone in the next blink as she tilted her head back, gesturing for her to enter.

"Well, come on in," she said with a teasing smile that was so natural that Eve felt a touch envious, "and we'll see if we can help you find what you're lookin' for."


	14. The Longfort

**Disclaimer**: I do not own _Fire Emblem Awakening_ nor any of the canon characters from there. As for any original characters that may show up, any resemblance they may have to others is highly likely coincidental. If not and they happen to reference some other character or fandom on purpose or by accident, I don't own that either! (Also don't own the summary quote, which is from _InuYasha_.)

**Other Notes**: College is probably the bane of every fanfic writer's existence. _**  
**_

* * *

_**The Wings of Goodbye**_

**Chapter Fourteen  
**

* * *

The woman called herself Celia; the man was Gwendal. They gave Eve nothing more, not that she expected them to, and asked only the bare minimum about her mother. When she told them of Judith's passing, with none of the details, Celia had only nodded sympathetically while Gwendal stood, grim-faced, in the corner.

"So what brings you here, Eve?" Celia asked in a conversational tone, as if this were not the first, true time that they had met and spoken in such a way. Long ago, Eve had wondered aloud to her mother while on the road as to why they spoke so informally, even behind closed doors. Judith had only cautioned her with the age-old knowledge that no place was ever truly safe for any type of spy. There was no guessing when someone could be listening in, even in the privacy of a home. Speaking and writing in code was something you learned to live by very quickly lest you end up dead or worse.

"Oh, I was just stopping by, really," Eve said as she looked down into the cup of tea they served her. "I've been traveling, you see, since Mother died and thought I would go see the world a bit before settling down again. I was just heading north when I remembered that you both were here in this village, so I thought I'd drop in to say hello."

"Caught your mother's wanderlust, I see," Celia teased. Still on the run, she meant.

Eve managed a pained smile. "Something like that." Then, quieting, she set her tea down and leaned in, as if imparting a grave secret. "There's something that worries me, though."

An intuitive gleam shone in Celia's eyes as Gwendal looked up, face blank but gaze sharp. "What's that, dear?"

"While on the road, I've heard some ill-boding rumors," Eve said in a hushed way. "Creatures that no one has ever seen before that looked like rotting corpses. Some travelers have already had the displeasure of encountering them and the results are… unnerving, to say the least."

"Rotting corpses? How disgusting!" Celia exclaimed, but then she shot a look to Gwendal, as if in realization. "But if what you say is true…"

"A caravan passed by not too long ago," Gwendal picked up in a gravelly voice that indicated how little he spoke. "They were spooked. Gave fantastic tales of being attacked by human beasts in the night. They made it out alive, but not unscathed."

"So they've appeared this far north?" Eve asked.

Gwendal only confirmed with a nod. "Maybe not exactly around the village, but nearby." His expression, if possible, became even grimmer than before. "They'll be here before long."

"I suppose that explains the fugitives that have come through recently," Celia added in a reluctant tone, as if she did not want to believe his words. "That caravan was one of them, but there have been other travelers passing through, trying to escape something. Mostly villagers trying to abandon their towns for safety, but there was one noble-looking boy amongst them. He was certainly in a hurry if he didn't even bother to hide that royal hair of his."

Eve straightened. Royal hair? "Did he wear a mask?"

Celia hummed. "He certainly did, if I recall correctly. Didn't help him at all if he were trying to avoid attention. Really, blue hair like that is a beacon all on its own. Line of the Hero-King and all." She raised a brow as she looked at Eve. "Do you know him?"

"Not personally," Eve said, shaking her head. "But I met him once before." Then, after a moment of thought, she asked, "Do you know where he might have gone? There was something I neglected to ask him the last time I saw him."

"Really? Well, you're in luck. He stopped by the village to grab some food for the road. One of my friends who works a stall on the market street said she heard him asking about crossing into Ferox."

That information was both a blessing and foreboding. If Eve's instincts were right, if this "boy" was the child Grima followed from the future, then did that mean that something big was to occur in the northern lands?

"I see… How _are_ things along the border, anyway? Now that I have more of a reason to go, anything you can tell me to help smooth the way will be very helpful." Eve smiled. They might not have been able to give her much more information on the Risen than what she already knew, but they at least pointed her in the direction of where she could possibly acquire more.

That, at least, was a small victory.

* * *

When Eve returned to the camp later that evening, she went to see Chrom and Frederick as soon as possible to report her findings. She found them near Chrom's tent, where the knight captain had been relaying his own report about the camp's status.

"Ah, Eve," Chrom greeted when he noticed her standing off to the side. His nod gave her permission to approach. "Frederick said you went to the village to get information, too? Did you find anything?"

Eve nodded. "There was not much they could give me about the Risen, as they have had little contact with them thus far… They appear to be moving, however nonsensically."

"In other words, they are not here now but will be," Frederick concluded.

"Affirmative. It appears that no one knows quite what to think of them. No one has ever seen anything like them before and cannot fathom what could have been done to create them."

"I see…" Chrom said, voice troubled. "The others came up with similar results. On the one hand, it's good to know that we aren't the only ones in the dark about these things, but on the other…"

"On the other hand, it's disturbing to realize how little is known about them," Eve finished. When Chrom sent her a wry smile, she added, "Despite the lack of information on that subject, I did manage to get information that could help make our entrance into Regna Ferox much smoother. Accordingly, the problem with the Risen has caught enough attention to bring villagers into a panic. As they seem to be coming from the southern lands, there have been people traveling north in order to escape them."

"Understandable. I can't imagine anyone would want to stick around with those things." Chrom made an effort to chuckle, but though Eve tried to smile in response, it fell flat in the serious mood. The prince cleared his throat. "So what was that you found out about Ferox?"

"Accordingly, fugitives from the southern villages here in Ylisse have gone forth to cross into Regna Ferox through the Longfort, but have had little success. Many of them return here before trying to seek shelter elsewhere, passing along the message that the Feroxian soldiers refused the Ylisseans passage."

"Ah yes," Frederick mused. "There have been reports that the khans that rule Ferox have grown quite wary of foreigners. If the fugitives were as numerous as can be imagined, the guards of the Longfort must have been quite suspicious indeed."

Eve nodded. "Chances are, even with official word sent ahead, they won't take easily to our appearance. No matter what you say, claims of your identity will sound no different than a brigand attempting the same."

At this, Frederick let out a weary and resigned sigh that Eve felt was reflected on her own face. Chrom frowned as he glanced between them both. "So… what do you suggest then?"

She resisted the urge to shrug helplessly. "We fight, Captain."

The incredulous look on the prince's face was priceless in spite of the situation (or perhaps because of it). "And that's supposed to be the _smoother_ path?"

* * *

Traveling further north and thus closer to the territory of Regna Ferox saw the weather becoming much colder very quickly, much to the misery of the Ylissean Guard. Lissa was the most vocal of the group, griping about the freezing weather with just about every step they took, but a quick look around made it easy to see that they were all feeling the effects of the cold just as much as the princess was.

Eve did her best to hide her own feelings about the Feroxian cold, but mentally could not help but keep her own running commentary about her regrets about burying the Plegian coat with her mother. Sure, it wasn't practical for a pegasus knight such as herself to wear such clothing, and it was rather suspicious to wear in Ylisse with all its Grima symbols and Plegian colors, but at least it had been _warm_.

And Eve, as a child of Plegia, was truly unused to this extreme cold. Even on the nights she spent out in the open in the middle of the desert with her mother were not as freezing as it was becoming now. She could handle that temperature. But this? No, _this_ was quickly becoming her worst enemy, Grimleal be damned.

Still, even amongst the Shepherds, she had an image to keep as their tactician. She had one success in the last battle, but she had to keep a certain air about her to keep up their confidence in her. She could hardly show vulnerability now by shivering uncontrollably, so she kept herself as rigid as possible on top of Kyanos.

She looked up when she heard Lissa cheer at the sight of the Longfort coming into view. Chrom was quick to tell her that they still had a fight ahead, but Lissa was unperturbed.

"Let's just get it over with so we can get out of this cold!" the princess said, earning a spark of laughter and murmurs of agreement from the other Shepherds. Eve could scarcely bite her tongue to keep from chiming in.

* * *

The encounter with the Feroxian Guard began as expected.

The knight in charge stood atop the wall with a severe expression on her face as she looked upon the company stopped at their gates, clad in battle-worn armor with a fierce grip on a javelin. Rows of her fellow warriors lined the space on either side of her.

"Identify yourself!" she barked from her vantage point. Even from below Eve could see her eyes zero in on Chrom where he stood a few feet ahead of their group—the clear leader.

"I am Chrom of the noble House of Ylisse," he announced in a steady tone, but from behind it was plain that he was tense. "My company and I seek entrance into Regna Ferox to have a word with the khans!"

The woman sneered, clearly distrustful. "Turn back, lad! Regna Ferox will have nothing to do with you and yours."

The prince let out a breath, frustrated that they were as guarded as Eve said they would be. He glanced over his shoulder briefly to where she and Frederick were perched upon their mounts, his lieutenant and tactician ever present at his back.

Eve met his gaze and, expression grim, could only nod. Out of the corner of her eyes she saw Frederick do the same.

Another sigh was released before Chrom slid the Falchion from its sheath, raising it in challenge. "Then we challenge you, good lady! If you believe not our words, then let our blades do the talking!"

At this, the lady knight smirked. "If you are up to the challenge, _brigand_. Do your worst!"

She disappeared from sight then, likely to wait further on top of the fort while the lancers on either side filled up the space left behind. Chrom spluttered.

"Brigand!?" he cried, indignant.

"Do not let it get to you, Your Highness," Eve advised as she fought back a shiver. "It was likely just a jeer to throw you off."

Chrom sent her a rather injured look while somehow maintaining his dignity. "I suppose…"

"We ought to keep our minds on the task at hand," Frederick cut in. He seemed to pause before continuing, "Eve? Do you have a plan?"

Startled that the knight would actively include her, Eve gazed at the portion of the Longfort before them. With the Shepherds quietly waiting for her instructions, she could hear the heavy footsteps of the Feroxian Guard stamping down stairs on either side.

The Longfort itself was rather infamous throughout the lands of both Ylisse and Plegia due to its imposing appearance as well as the fact that it was heavily guarded all along its length. It covered the entirety of Regna Ferox's southern border, blocking out any intruders from its sister countries. It was unlikely that there would be an easy way to make it to the upper level where the lady knight waited. While the Feroxian soldiers moved easily through, it was almost certain that there would be obstacles they would have to overcome in order to reach her. But what?

Mind working quickly, Eve decided.

"We will split up," she said. At Chrom's frown, she explained, "If I recall correctly, at every main gate such as this one, there are always two stairwells. One on either side. If we do not wish to be cornered, it is best to confront both at the same time." She sighed. "Not to mention, it is highly likely that they have locked the doors at the top of said stairwells to prevent our passage. We will need to search any soldiers we come across for the keys to open them—and there is no telling which side will carry one if they both don't have one."

"And if we can't find a key?" Chrom asked.

"We will regroup and deal with that should it occur," Eve said. Chrom nodded, so she felt free to continue. "Regardless, the teams on both sides will have to be prepared to go through the doors and continue on. We should keep this fight as short as possible—none of us are used to the weather, which is a disadvantage. If the battle is drawn out longer than necessary, the cold will sap our strength."

A round of solemn nods met her this time. She tried to reassure them with a smile. "You are all more than capable men and women. Now, Sully and Virion, you both will lead the charge on the eastern side. Lady Maribelle and Stahl will accompany you. Has anyone seen Kellam? Ah, there—you will be following along the western side with Prince Chrom, Lady Lissa, and Sir Frederick. As for Donnel…"

* * *

As Eve gave the Shepherds their roles and positions, a certain confidence began to bloom as the makeshift army stood straighter when their names were called. With affirmative nods and brief questions for clarification, they strode out, ready for battle.

Chrom watched the proceedings with a warm smile in spite of the situation, observing as their tactician smoothly transitioned into a battle mindset while the soldiers followed her lead. He blinked when he became aware of another presence at his side, looking back and up to see Frederick on his war horse. For once, the knight did not immediately look at him, instead focusing his dark eyes on the same sight that Chrom had.

"Still don't trust her, Frederick the Wary?" he asked in a knowing tone.

"Not completely," Frederick replied, ever honest and straightforward. "Never completely."

"You take your job too seriously to be able to," Chrom agreed.

"Indeed," Frederick said. "But I am not above giving credit where it is due. Though she lacks the formal training and education of a tactician, her mind is suited for it. She knows how to apply the soldiers' strengths and cover their weaknesses appropriately—that in itself is worthy of respect."

It made Chrom proud to hear the knight approve. Like hearing two good friends of his that were at odds finally see eye to eye. "She's a true Shepherd now, whether she knows it or not."

"…Perhaps," Frederick acceded.

Chrom straightened when Eve finished relaying their battle plans to the others, nodding as she saluted. When she went to join the eastern party, Chrom and Frederick moved into position on the western side. They could feel the eyes of the Feroxian soldiers watching them in an almost passive manner. Had this been a truly hostile attack they would have sent lances and arrows flying before any plans could be made, Chrom had no doubt, but his challenge earlier had formalized things.

Regna Ferox respected power above all. It also respected one's attempt to display it, giving a fair and fighting (no pun intended) chance for all to do so if willing. For the Shepherds to have given a direct challenge, it earned them the right to prepare as they wished and initiate the fight on their own terms, as they did not have the advantage of being on familiar territory. The Feroxian Guard would simply react as necessary.

Though it irked at Chrom to have to take part in what he felt was unnecessary violence just to pass through, he had to admit that sometimes they had no choice but to play by the rules.

"All right, let's get this over with," he muttered, eyeing the line of trees warily. A glint of armor there and to the side, very close to the corner of the fort, told him that the opposing soldiers were ready and waiting for confrontation. He felt a chill run through him despite his best efforts to stifle it, Eve's warning echoing through his head as it did. "It's not getting any warmer."


	15. Preparations

**Disclaimer**: I do not own _Fire Emblem Awakening_ nor any of the canon characters from there. As for any original characters that may show up, any resemblance they may have to others is highly likely coincidental. If not and they happen to reference some other character or fandom on purpose or by accident, I don't own that either! (Also don't own the summary quote, which is from _InuYasha_.)

**Other Notes**: Shepherd interactions are fun. On the one hand, I wish I could write more for them because, c'mon, the Shepherds are _awesome_. On the other hand, there are so _many_ of them it's a nightmare to write.

If I do get around to writing more for the Shepherds specifically, it'll probably be a companion piece to this story featuring one-shots of Shepherd interaction "off-camera" so to speak. Also planning to make a side-story that involves the individual romances of the couples that will appear in this timeline. I'll call that one _BarrackShipping_. Not sure about the first one, though._**  
**_

* * *

_**The Wings of Goodbye**_

**Chapter Fifteen  
**

* * *

The Shepherds took Eve's warning to heart and finished the battle at the Longfort in as short a time as possible. As it turned out, they had no reason to worry about not getting to the upper level of the fort, as there was a soldier bearing a key on both sides. However, they chose not to wait and send a messenger to the other team, instead going forth to continue the battle. They both met up in the middle regardless, rendering the point moot, where Chrom would go to confront the head guard—Raimi, as she introduced herself when she was defeated.

"Apologies, Lord Prince," Raimi said, bowing as much as her armor allowed. "There has been a rise in travelers lately that has left us quite suspicious. We had no way of knowing who was true in their claims of identity. But no imposter could have displayed such power!"

"We've heard," Chrom said, waving a hand in pardon and pointedly ignoring the praise. He was still slightly winded from the earlier bout, the adrenaline not quite faded—Eve had no doubt he bore little patience for social niceties at the moment. Prince or no prince. "Now, any chance we would be able to talk to the khans?"

Raimi nodded. "Yes, of course! I will escort you there momentarily." With another curt bow she left, flagging down several other soldiers still in good condition after the fight. Most likely for status reports as well as to send word ahead to their destination.

Meanwhile, Lissa was all but singing her thanks to Naga at the thought of getting out of the cold, the other Shepherds agreeing as they lingered around. Thankfully, they sported very little wounds from the earlier bout—not that either side was actively trying to kill the other. Still, Eve felt it was prudent to be grateful. Their supplies were better off saved for actual skirmishes than tests of valor and strength.

Speaking of…

"The idea of 'power as authority' is perplexing to me," she confessed aloud, earning the attention of several of the Shepherds nearby.

"Why's that?" asked Sully after a short silence.

"Sounds pretty straightforward t' me," said Vaike, crossing his arms over his chest. He would not admit it on the way there, but everyone could see the way his exposed skin prickled with goosebumps in reaction to the cold. Even now he tried to play it off, much to everyone's exasperation.

Shaking her thoughts away, Eve answered, "It's concerning. Suppose that we _weren't_ who we claimed to be? If we just so happened to be more powerful than the current watch of guards, or if we happened to get lucky to turn the battle in our favor, then couldn't anyone be able to just walk in?"

"Not to play devil's advocate, but when viewed from another perspective the veracity of that claim becomes invalid when one considers the fact that an individual of considerable military prowess could not be seen as just 'anyone'," was Miriel's astute reply.

"In addition," Frederick added as everyone was picking apart Miriel's vocabulary as usual, "such deceit goes against the Feroxian expectation of honor. Truth will out eventually and, should the discovery of that truth affect the Feroxians negatively, vengeance will be returned tenfold—or so the saying goes."

"In other words, this is a straightforward land," Virion said with a grand flourish of his hand. "Simple, one may call it. Barbaric, to others. But it is a land of resplendent integrity, of that there is no doubt."

Maribelle sniffed. "And the punishment for not upholding their views is a swift and brutal death. 'Straightforward', indeed."

* * *

It came as a surprise to everyone when Raimi and her small guard escorted the Shepherds to a large and rather foreboding colosseum. Raimi did not appear aware of the group's mounting trepidation as they grew closer to the structure, however, instead proudly introducing it as the famed "Arena Ferox". At that time of year, both khans would be in the area specifically around the arena, which should suit the Shepherds' needs.

"Once we are within, I will have your people settled before alerting the khan of your arrival," Raimi reported as they passed the main gate.

"Ah, yes, thank you. That would be much appreciated," Chrom said, voice uneasy as he looked about the grim and cold stone walls that surrounded them. Eve did not blame him. The look of the colosseum's outward appearance had the feel of a dungeon rather than the arena it claimed to be.

The inner halls of Arena Ferox were marginally better, though, much to everyone's relief. The décor was minimal and not entirely comfortable, but it was more than a few steps up from the cells they were all probably imagining. They were each then led to their rooms, which they would have to share as Raimi regretfully told them of other visiting dignitaries and the like being in the area, but were assured of receiving the best hospitality that could be afforded to them.

Chrom declined being shown to his own room, however, preferring to meet with the khan first. Frederick and Eve remained with him.

"Understood, Prince Chrom." Raimi bowed. "Please wait here while I summon the khan."

As the knight's heavy footsteps faded down the corridor, Eve found herself contemplating the lining of the stone on the ceiling. Idly, she pulled up the information she knew about Regna Ferox during her travels with her mother, including what they managed to gather about the khans.

From what she could recall, there were two that traded power every so often, yielding to one another based on what strength they acquired. The east and the west had their own "kingdoms", in essence, but to prevent major conflict one was always in power even over the other. In a way, it was probably assuring to their citizens to know that the more powerful between the two was always the one in charge. On the other hand, Eve still could not understand the logic behind Feroxian "battle politics". But it seemed to work for them, so she held her tongue.

Shaking her head lightly, Eve forced herself to focus and recall why she summoned up all the information she knew of Regna Ferox in the first place. Clearing her throat to get the men's attention, she announced, "Ylisse's main border with Regna Ferox is watched over by the east, which is ruled by Khan Flavia."

Chrom perked up. "You know of him?"

"Her," Eve corrected mildly, though she did not blame him. Names meant little in terms of gender identification and one usually would not expect a female to rule over even part of what is known as a barbaric country—sexist as it sounded. "And only barely. My mother and I passed through Ferox before as well during our travels, though mostly through the western half and never for long. The cold… did not agree with us."

Still doesn't, not that she would admit it aloud.

"Understandable," Chrom said. He seemed to shiver for a split second, likely remembering the blistering cold they were in not even an hour ago. "Anything else you can tell us?"

They probably should have had this debriefing before arriving, Eve realized belatedly. Not that they could really help it. Their main concerns were focused on just _getting in_ to the country to speak with the khans before. Still, she tucked the experience away for future reference in order to prevent repeating it in the future. Amateur tactician for a matching amateur army or not—she planned for everything.

"They trade power," Eve said. Distantly, she could here footsteps echoing down the halls as they approached. "It's a balance that the khans established generations ago. In order to keep the two lands from fighting constantly, they set up a system that gave one half authority over the lands." She paused, eyes widening. "Most often through a tournament. Held here. In Arena Ferox."

"You're well-informed," a deep but effeminate voice interrupted before Chrom could react. Eve turned to see the dark-skinned, light-haired khan step into the room, gait as strong and steady as her armor appeared. "And ultimately correct, unfortunately for you, it seems. In the previous tournament, the West-Khan seized victory and thus acquired total sovereignty over both kingdoms. Anything you may wish to request is not in my authority to provide."

She had barely entered the room and was already shutting down their hopes. Eve could scarcely keep her mouth shut. Straightforward, indeed!

_But wait._

"It is no coincidence that you happen to be here, is it?" Eve asked before she could stop herself. "And your guard, Raimi, said that _both_ khans would be located in this area at this time. Which means…" She shot a significant look to Chrom, who caught on rather quickly. The troubled expression on his face cleared with the dawning realization.

Flavia, for her part, seemed equal parts pleased and amused as she folded her arms over her chest. "You certainly have damn good timing, Prince Chrom. The next tournament is nigh and, luckily for you, I am in need of champions."

* * *

The halls of Arena Ferox were not as cold as the weather outside, but after a while one could not help but feel the chill seeping in through the stone. Eve was highly tempted to just stand near one of the torches for a while and try to soak up what meager warmth the flames provided, but she had somewhere to be.

After a small session of lessons on Feroxian history and customs, Chrom agreed for the Shepherds to be East-Khan Flavia's champions for the upcoming tournament. In exchange, when—not _if_, as Chrom insisted—they brought Flavia to power, she would ensure that soldiers of Regna Ferox would be sent to help Ylisse in its plight. Furthermore, they would have a treaty to make them more formal allies, as Chrom warned her that the trouble would likely be affecting Ferox soon enough. That was not even including anything that Plegia may pull, though thankfully Flavia viewed them with disdain and needed no persuasion in forming an alliance against the desert kingdom should the need arise.

Now, it was all a matter of waiting for the day that the matches began. In the meantime, both teams would have access to the training rooms provided along the arena's halls. Eve was currently on her way to one, hoping to see what the facilities held in order to better plan a training regimen for the Shepherds that would be taking part in the fight. Already her mind was whirring with ideas, for although Chrom stated his expectation that she would be one of the fighters on the arena floor, Eve had other plans. This would be the first formal setting that would require the Shepherds skills to fight. Unlike a battle on the field, the tournament would be a controlled setting. She could use this time to observe the Shepherds and see their ability to act and react without her own fights getting in the way. The opportunity held so much potential that she could scarcely pay attention to anything else the moment she realized it.

Thus it was, perhaps, completely understandable that Eve was so caught off guard when she quite literally ran into Marth.

The bump was sudden and forceful, knocking her back a few paces but thankfully remaining upright. Startled green eyes slid to view what she had impacted with and it was with no little shock that she found herself staring at a familiar head with blue hair and a distinctive mask.

"Marth," she said, carefully not reacting when the supposed boy's shoulders jumped. She pretended not to see his hand move to the hilt at his waist that was, now that she could see it more closely, quite clearly the Falchion. Eve swallowed back both the burning anger and spike of fear that accompanied the sight and was relieved to find it easier than their previous encounter. "So you made it into Ferox."

She knew that was the wrong thing to say when he tensed in the way a soldier's body would in the split second before choosing to fight or dodge. "You knew I was coming here…?"

The voice was cleverly deceptive. Even when listening she could not immediately determine the true gender. Marth simply sounded like a young man. Perhaps a tad effeminate, but nothing damning.

"No," she said. And that was the truth. "I heard someone say they saw you in a village not far south of the border. Overheard you inquiring about how to get into Ferox."

Marth's shoulders relaxed, but only minutely. He was still wary of her.

_She_, her mind tried to correct, but Eve waved the voice off. If this truly were the Lucina her counterpart mentioned so briefly, she was currently masquerading as a man. Far be it from Eve to reveal "his" identity (and gender for that matter) before he was ready. It would simply be easier to keep referring to him as a boy until he revealed himself, especially to prevent slip-ups. Besides, revealing that she knew of Marth's identity would likely only alarm him further.

Grima. Gods damned Grima. Ruining Eve's life even while asleep in her head.

With a quiet sigh, Eve affirmed that this was the wrong time and place to interrogate Lucina—Marth. He was clearly distrustful of Eve, and for good reason. Eve could wait until there was a better chance she could reveal to him what she knew and not risk the Falchion finding a new sheath in her throat.

"Well. I apologize for bumping into you. Good day." She tipped her head in parody of a bow before sidestepping him and continuing on her way.

Behind her, she could almost hear him hesitate before slowly returning to his route as well.

* * *

"Eeeeeeeeve…!" Lissa whined. "Why are we _outside_!?"

Eve chuckled. "Because I am going to teach you how to wield an axe and I do not want to be in a closed room with limited space during the swings you lose your grip."

The princess grumbled. "Why do I need to learn to wield an axe anyway?"

"Because magic, like any weapon, cannot be relied upon all the time. I want you and the others to be as versatile as I can get you so that in the event that something goes wrong you can take care of yourself." She tried to resist, but in the end Eve could not help but place her gloved hand on the princess's head.

Lissa frowned. "You think things might go wrong?"

Eve could only smile sadly. "Many things can happen in battle that I cannot predict. There is a saying that one must prepare for the worst while hoping for the best… and sometimes, that is truly all you can do."

There was a long silence as the two women simply stood in each other's presence, contemplative. While Eve was unsure of what the princess was thinking about, she had to actively try to keep herself from recalling the most recent time where things went horribly wrong.

Eventually, Lissa seemed to physically shake herself out of her own thoughts, trying pitifully to lift the axe in her hands. "So how the heck do you move around with this thing anyway? It's _heavy_!"

* * *

The short days that the Shepherds had to prepare for the tournament flew by quickly. But Eve supposed that they managed it as efficiently as they could, with each of the Shepherds running through the training sessions she set up for them. Those that she planned to pull together for the tournament she paid especially close attention to, though she was certain not to neglect observing any of the others. It was very busy work, managing even this small army, but she welcomed the challenge. It kept her mind focused and less likely to drift off into unpleasant thoughts.

Still, the day of the tournament arrived swiftly and Eve was making last minute checks on their equipment. It would not do to risk anything breaking in the middle of this important battle—Ylisse was counting on their victory to bring them allies against the Risen and Plegian threat. There was so much pressure and she could feel it creeping up on her despite her efforts to ignore it.

Sighing, she glared down at her list of the Shepherds' weapons, trying to once more focus on that. Truth be told, their stock wasn't very impressive. They had funds to keep track of which kept their supply limited. Even more, if they wanted to keep everyone geared, which was the ideal plan considering emergencies could strike at any moment, they could not afford any of the higher quality metals. Of course, Eve personally preferred the durability over power, but there were plenty of arguments to be made about utilizing silver over iron and—

"Eve?"

Eve tensed and whirled around, transferring her parchment and quill to one hand so that the now free one could reach back to where her tome hung in its holster. She froze before she could actually slip the book free and blast the intruder to kingdom come. Which was a good thing, since she figured it was generally a bad idea to attack a fellow soldier.

Sumia backed up from the entrance to their little supply corner, arms raised in the universal sign of surrender and peace. She waited for Eve to relax her muscles, watching as she slipped out of her combative stance with wide eyes.

"S-Sorry," the pink-clad pegasus knight said, looking worried. "Are you okay? You seem really tense."

Eve managed a tired smile. "Habit." Being on the run meant needing to hone one's fight or flight instincts to a keen edge. The stress of the upcoming tournament only exasperated that, it seemed. "Did you need something?"

Sumia blinked, as if just remembering what she had been searching for Eve for. She immediately began rambling. "Oh! Well, it's not really _need_ but there were a few of us that were wondering where you were since we were all pretty much finished with our training for the day. You did tell us to stop early so we could be rested for tomorrow and all. When we gathered together, though, we found that you weren't around so we were just looking for you, really."

They often were, Eve found. The more she trained with the Shepherds, the more relaxed they seemed to become around her. She was uncertain as to why, but it seemed that the increased proximity wore down whatever walls that remained standing between them. Just the other day, the ladies of the Shepherds had all but dragged Eve out after a training session to roam the Feroxian city that the arena was situated in. And later at dinner she was dragged into many conversations as the Shepherds reminisced about past skirmishes they got into with brigands or further training they were wanting to try and for Eve to supervise.

It was… interesting.

They were a lively bunch for sure. Prolonged interaction often left Eve feeling drained, having never been around so many people for so long, but it was an almost pleasant feeling.

Was this what it was like? To have bonds with other people?

Distantly, Eve could just barely recall her mother's words one sad day years ago, after learning to become a pegasus knight. "Invisible ties" she called them. Invisible ties that linked people together.

Lips quirking up ever so slightly, Eve nodded to the fidgeting Sumia. "Just let me finish looking over our supplies and I'll join you all soon."

This was not the time to be relaxing, but something told her that things would work out tomorrow whether she stressed about it or not.

She hoped it was Reverie.


	16. Imprints

**Disclaimer**: I do not own _Fire Emblem Awakening_ nor any of the canon characters from there. As for any original characters that may show up, any resemblance they may have to others is highly likely coincidental. If not and they happen to reference some other character or fandom on purpose or by accident, I don't own that either! (Also don't own the summary quote, which is from _InuYasha_.)

**Other Notes**: If there was one thing I did not like about Awakening, it was Lucina's relationship with the Avatar. If they were not her husband or her mother, it always seemed like she was so ready to kill them. I mean, I can understand this to some extent (preventing Grimapocalypse would be a valid reason to kill just about anyone, probably), but there could have been so much _more_, y'know? Especially based on what Support rank you have with her and if you go with the headcanon that Avatar stuck around Ylisse and Chrom and his family between/after the wars.

I would think that Lucina at least grew up with the Avatar around like family before everything went south. Lucina is shown to cherish the bonds between her family and friends so she wouldn't forget that so easily. And, if you think about it, Lucina had to have gotten her pragmatic self _somewhere_. She's a lot like Chrom, which is understandable as he is her father no matter who his wife is, but there's a lot of her that's like the Avatar, too (which is why I support AvatarxChrom for the main game; it just _makes sense_). They both have strong wills, but they're realistic in the sense that they both know happy endings don't come without a price.

So, in light of that, I'm taking creative liberties here on a few things: one being Lucina's relationship with Eve. Creative liberties are also taken with how much Lucina knows about Eve involving Grima and Chrom's death. Because Lucina's a smart girl and Grima's a sadistic nightmare. He would _so _be the villain that abuses the familial bonds that Lucina treasures above all else. He would not be the type to hide the identity of his vessel for _added_ _mystery_—he'd flaunt the fact that he took over someone special to his enemies.

Long author's note, sorry, but just taking another couple of lines to give special thanks to my reviewers for the last couple of chapters. I have fun writing this story just for myself, but I'm very glad to know that others enjoy it as well. Hope we can stick together to the end! :')_**  
**_

* * *

_**The Wings of Goodbye**_

**Chapter Sixteen  
**

* * *

The tournament began with a roar of the audience and only grew louder from there.

Eve had a hard time concentrating as she sat in the stands directly behind the Shepherds' waiting area—or rather, the East-Khan's waiting area, but they were her champions so it was essentially the same thing. Her brow was perpetually furrowed, which she vaguely heard Maribelle comment on behind her, but she could not bring herself to care. She could only try to keep her focus on the arena floor as the different teams battled it out in true gladiatorial fashion.

Really, calling it a tournament was a bit of a misnomer seeing as how there were only two actual competitors and the decisive match was the last after a series of other matches. When Eve pointed this out, Flavia, who was sitting nearby in her specially designated seat as a khan, explained that the introductory matches were more or less advertisements.

"Quick and decisive matches are easy," Flavia said, "but the people like being able to see exactly how the khans are matched in power. They want to know that the winner is truly worthy. Thus, the showmanship."

Eve thought she heard Maribelle mutter something along the lines of "_What_ showmanship?" but refused to acknowledge it in fear of insulting the lady khan. Instead, she watched the matches continue on below, eyes flicking up every so often to the opposing side where a familiar blue-haired, masked boy sat. She could not see him clearly, but he appeared mostly relaxed even from the distance she saw him at. Perhaps a little tense, but no more than the Shepherds were below Eve. She wondered if Chrom knew he was there.

Standing, she made her way down the steps until she was at the very front, separated from the team she picked out by only a wall and several feet of elevation. "Captain."

Chrom turned at her call and made his way over without a question. "What is it, Eve?"

"The boy who called himself Marth is fighting for the West-Khan. Given how he has not joined any of the previous teams, it is likely he will be in the group fighting you and the others," she reported dutifully. "His sword bears striking similarity to the Falchion." Actually, she was quite certain it _was_ the Falchion, but… "I felt you should know this before you crossed blades so you would not be distracted."

The prince looked troubled at the news, nodding reluctantly. "Did you know he was here before?"

"Yes," Eve replied honestly. When his frown deepened, she explained, "There was little that could have been gained if we were to have confronted him before. I met him by accident and he has gone to great lengths to avoid us since—suffice to say, it is not the right time."

The cheering of the crowd drowned out the silence that would have otherwise followed her words, but Chrom seemed to have no trouble blocking it out as he thought. After a moment, he glanced back up at her. "And you don't think he's dangerous or suspicious?"

Eve hesitated for a split second's time. It was a complicated question with an even more complex answer. How could she word it without inspiring unease? She knew that the broiling anger and fear she felt upon seeing Marth were not her own—they were imprints of Grima's in response to a mortal that defied him and a weapon capable of doing him harm. Beyond that, Eve had suspicions _about_ Marth that she had a good feeling were true, but she did not find the boy himself suspicious.

Eventually, she said, "No. He is cryptic and a mystery, but he is not a danger to you and yours." To her, perhaps. But not the Shepherds.

Chrom watched her as she said this, making her wonder if he had caught something in her expression somehow. But he nodded regardless. "All right. Anything else?"

"Fight him."

"Huh?"

"Fight him. When the match comes, match yourself against him. Khan Flavia mentioned that a lot of this tournament is based upon showmanship, so it would be best to go along with their customs." Her lips quirked into a wry smile at the uncertain expression that crossed his face. "You don't need to be flashy. Just give your best fight against him."

Thankfully, Chrom could agree more readily with that. With a sigh of relief that was more visual than audible in the noise-filled arena, he nodded. "I can do that. Is that it?"

"Just one more."

"What is it?"

"Good luck, Captain."

* * *

Watching Chrom and Marth cross blades was eerie. Their movements were synchronized in a way that spoke of years of familiarity, which only heightened Eve's suspicions. She found herself wondering just how far into the future that Reverie and Marth came from because, as far as she knew, there was no other line directly linked to Ylissean royalty than the main family to explain Marth's features. Even if there were some relatives that married into families outside of Ylisse, there were no recorded individuals born with the distinct hair color of the Hero-King. If that trait and Eve's guesses proved true, that meant that Marth would be a direct descendant of one of the royal siblings, as they all had the genetics to pass it on.

"That's amazing," Sumia whispered beside her. Eve glanced to the side to see the brunette leaning forward, enthralled with the mirror images of the prince and his opponent as they fought. "It's like a scene in a book. They're perfectly matched."

Eve returned her gaze to the match before them. She conceded to Sumia's words; the two blue-haired men did appear to be evenly matched, meeting blow for blow. If she did not know better, she would have said that their match was choreographed. But she did know better, and it was that fact that clued her in to Marth's intentions. He was not fighting to win, though he certainly would not make it easy for Chrom to best him.

"Marth knows his moves," she murmured. "He's lighter so he has to adjust them somewhat, but they're the same."

So it was more than familiarity. Marth had been trained in the way Chrom fought. There were some discrepancies, as if Marth had not been taught the moves directly but rather taught himself by watching religiously and copying on his own, but it was close enough that Eve could not ignore it.

A twinge of pain bloomed in her chest; Eve sucked in a breath at the heartbreaking feeling. Hazy images of a blue-haired little girl appeared in her mind, dressed in a blue outfit for training and wielding a wooden sword. She was smiling as she ran towards Eve, weapon pulling back as if to strike.

Then the image faded, the imprint of Reverie's memory receding back into the back of Eve's mind. Her heart pounded, full of guilt and regret. Tears welled up in her eyes, unbidden.

The roar of cheers shocked her out of the moment, however, and Eve looked up, shocked, as Sumia yelled in her own excitement. "Go, Prince Chrom!"

Green eyes flicking to the arena floor, Eve saw Marth on the ground, his Falchion lying beside him. Chrom stood over him, breathing heavily, his Falchion clutched firmly in his hand. He won.

* * *

As Flavia went down to congratulate Chrom and get started on her end of the deal, Eve found herself tracking Marth as he shakily got up and wandered off the arena floor to make his escape. Telling Sumia and the others to go meet Chrom on the floor and that she would join them shortly, Eve hurried to dodge around the crowd as she followed him. She earned more than a few curious looks as she passed, but she ignored them in favor of searching for the young man.

She eventually found him walking at a brisk pace down the corridor, gait once again strong and assured even after the grueling match. Eve ran after him, calling his name in hopes of getting him to stop.

He did, turning smoothly until he was half-facing her as she got close. "Can I help you?"

Eve took a moment, feigning the need to catch her breath after the light run she had done to catch him. It gave her precious seconds to look at him, staring at his mask as if she could see the rest of the face hidden behind it. Were his eyes as expressive as they had been during childhood?

"No," she said eventually, drawing the word out. "But I would like to thank you."

Marth straightened, drawing taller in surprise. "For what?"

For many things, Eve felt she should say. Here he was, a child of the future, stuck in the past where he was quite alone. Guiding things along if the fact that he was here just before the Shepherds arrived were any indication. And likely trying to fix whatever went wrong that caused Eve to become Grima's vessel.

But she could not say those things. Not yet, anyway. So she said what she felt was the next best thing.

"You threw the match," she replied, watching his shoulders still again in surprise. He did not reply—neither to affirm nor deny her words. She did not mind and continued on regardless, "So I wanted to thank you in my captain's place. Though he would have been displeased at the idea of winning the match from you not using your true strength, he would not be able to deny that Ylisse needs Regna Ferox's help. Whether you meant to or not, that you threw the match and conceded victory to Prince Chrom aided us greatly."

Marth's stance gave away none of his thoughts. "…Are you done?"

It would not have been an exaggeration to say that she was surprised he was still listening to her. "Almost." And then she blinked, for she could have sworn that his lips twitched into the briefest of smiles. The thought made her somewhat happy. "I just felt as though I should say that…"

Distantly, Eve's mind returned to her earlier train of thought, picking up with surprising speed. The fact that Marth was here in this time, trying to right what went wrong, was no coincidence. Eve could pretend all she could have liked, but the more she thought about it the more she realized just how heavily Fate was intertwined. Marth arrived just as she met with the Shepherds and joined their flock.

Perhaps the events that led to the catastrophe of Grima's awakening would not happen soon, but it was definitely tied in to her meeting them. If Marth wished, he could simply wait for certain events to come to pass that required her presence. Then, when the last of the danger passed, he could kill her and prevent his future of heartache to happen.

And Eve knew without a doubt that she would allow him to kill her, would even direct his blade to her heart, should the time come.

It was a sobering revelation.

She took a breath. "…No matter what your motives are, or what outcome you hope to achieve, I believe you are doing the right thing." She was hinting quite dangerously to her knowledge of his secrets, but for the moment she did not care. He seemed as lost in his role in destiny and the world as she was, and she felt they both needed to hear the words she was saying. "I don't know you, but you seem to carry a large burden on your shoulders." It was a feeling that she knew quite well. "I think that it is very brave of you to move forward in your own way, doing what you can. Doing what you must."

Silence engulfed them, but it was not the tense quiet that surrounded their past meetings. Eve wondered if that meant Marth felt even a bit more comfortable now or if he were simply too surprised to react.

Figuring that she should leave him to his thoughts, she dipped her head in a slight nod of respect. "Thank you again for your help, however willingly you gave it." And then she ran off, intent on returning to the Shepherds before they could have the mind to search for her.

She did not look back.

* * *

Eve did not look back, but Lucina watched through the slits of her mask as the silvery-haired woman ran off and disappeared around the corner. Lowering her head, the future Ylissean princess gritted her teeth, her hands clenching into fists at her sides.

Coming to the past, facing the people she found here, was much harder than she thought it would be.

She and the others—whom she had no idea where they were or if they were even alive—had believed they would be prepared. They told themselves every day as they brought the plan into motion that they would do things right. That they would be able to find the Shepherds of the current day and watch over them, bring them to a peace that they had never known but always wished for. Even if it meant someday facing the parents that they lost, knowing that they were not and possibly would never be the exact same people that the children remembered, they would continue fighting until that new and brighter day dawned.

Even Lucina had desperately told herself that she was ready to confront her parents—her father especially—and that she would not hesitate to use the Falchion she inherited to change fate. But when she fell through the portal, she had never thought that her first meeting in the past would be with Eve.

Standing in the fields of Ylisse, looking upon Eve's strong figure seated on the back of her ever-loyal dark pegasus, had brought Lucina back to days she thought she had long since forgotten. Even if her first instinct upon seeing that shock of silver hair was to defend and attack, Lucina could not help but stay her blade as she had stared at the familiar image as it lined up to the memories imprinted on her mind.

"_Will I ever be strong like you?" Lucina asked, peering up at the dark flier from her spot on the ground. She was short so she had to incline her head far back to peer up at the woman, but given that she was only four (and a half!) it was understandable._

_Eve blinked and seemed to share a look with Kyanos who, even in his older age, still had plenty of sass as he snorted, shaking his head as if to tell her that it was her question to answer. Eve chuckled and patted his neck. "If you practice and train hard enough, Luci, you might be." Her tone was kind to keep the little princess from being dismayed by her words. "Your father will certainly train you well enough to take after him."_

"_But I wanna be like you!" Lucina insisted. "You're strong _and_ smart!"_

_Raucous laughter all but exploded from the rest of the field then as the other Shepherds caught her words, drowning out Chrom's indignant yelp._

"_Out of the mouths of babes!" Gaius teased, clapping the Exalt on his shoulder. Lucina pouted; she was _not _a baby! "Tough luck, Blue. Even Little Blue called it."_

_Chrom sent Eve a pitiful look at that, earning a sheepish grin in return. Eventually, Chrom only sighed and shook his head, smiling wryly as he patted Lucina's head and acquiesced to her silent request to be picked up. "At least she's just being honest, I guess…"_

Shakily, Lucina breathed in only to find herself shocked when moisture dripped down from beneath her mask and onto her cheeks. With a quick look around, she unclipped it and wiped at her eyes, sniffling.

While growing up, the Shepherds had been more or less her extended family. Sure, they had gone their separate ways between the wars, but they always seemed to band together when things got bad. In the fight against Grima, they had all been together fighting to the last, even after Chrom's death and Eve's disappearance. Seeing them all now and so vibrantly alive—albeit with some crucial members missing, having not yet joined—and watching from afar as Eve and Chrom steadily built the ragtag group of soldiers into the powerful army Lucina remembered made her rather emotional.

Especially when she knew what she would eventually have to do to _keep_ them alive.

Especially when she knew that, if she were born again in this timeline, she would be keeping her other self from a relationship that had built Lucina into who she was today.

Especially when she knew now that Eve was exactly the same as she remembered.

Lucina forced out a laugh. It sounded as bitter as she felt. "You _would_ think I'm doing the right thing. You're always like that…"

Because as she had once said so long ago, Lucina strove to be like Eve while growing up. When the world was falling about her ears, Lucina, the eldest of the Shepherds' children, took it upon herself to lead them as her father once led the Shepherds before her. But she did not have the tactician Chrom had, so she had to learn to guide them on her own.

She would never have the mind Eve had, but she did her best to emulate Eve when she could. Because like Lucina's father, Eve had the aura of a ruler even if she did not display it often. She may not have possessed Chrom's charisma, but she made it a point to know her people inside and out. In battle, she was Chrom's foil and voice of reason. And, as Lucina knew from the darker tales the Shepherds reminisced upon, Eve often took on tasks that Chrom or even other Shepherds could not.

"Pragmatic," they called her in those times. For when Chrom and the others had images to uphold, giving mercy to those that did not deserve it, Eve would swoop in behind them from the shadows, protecting their backs. And when the situation called for a solution that was less than ideal, the one to stand up and stain her hands in the end was Eve. For Grima's avatar was already tainted.

It took Lucina a long time to learn exactly what this meant for Eve and, even more, what it meant for Lucina's attempts to follow in Eve's footsteps. But she eventually realized it when she found herself doing the same for the other children. In order to protect them, Lucina would gladly take on the darker roles, as if to keep them innocent still in some way.

It was an exhausting road. But Lucina could not dare to stop yet. There were still many more things that could go wrong in this timeline that she had to keep watch on. And there was still that final task she had to complete no matter how much it would break her heart in the end. Grima's future could not come to pass again, and even if it made her look like a villain Lucina would put a stop to it before it could even begin.

With a last, tremulous sigh, Lucina fixed her mask back onto her face.

"Forgive me," she said, but she had the distinct feeling that she was already forgiven.


	17. The Swordsman and the Mage

**Disclaimer**: I do not own _Fire Emblem Awakening_ nor any of the canon characters from there. As for any original characters that may show up, any resemblance they may have to others is highly likely coincidental. If not and they happen to reference some other character or fandom on purpose or by accident, I don't own that either! (Also don't own the summary quote, which is from _InuYasha_.)

**Other Notes**: Somewhat of a filler, but gearing up to the conflict with Plegia. On the one hand, I feel like this story's really slow, so I commend readers who are still sticking with it despite knowing the story already. On the other hand, I like the build-up because it gives me more of a chance to get into interactions between characters._**  
**_

* * *

_**The Wings of Goodbye**_

**Chapter Seventeen  
**

* * *

Lon'qu was a funny man.

Perhaps not funny in the laughable way, but funny nonetheless. Eve found him amusing in the way that his avoidance of women seemed to flip on and off like a switch. A part of her felt horrible for thinking that—finding a man's discomfort entertaining—but after a day of observing him she found she could not help it.

Shortly after returning to the Shepherds after her encounter with Marth, Eve found that the East-Khan was already making good on her deal with Chrom. She promised Regna Ferox's aid in Ylisse's plight and made plans to keep in touch to uphold their treaty. Even the West-Khan, a large and imposing man named Basilio, gave his own contribution: the loan of one of his best warriors—if not _the_ best—to the Shepherds.

It amazed Eve somewhat that the man they just overthrew could be so generous. Her initial reaction had been to guard and suspect foul play, but no, the man was only a little sore over losing the throne and seemed to take it in stride otherwise.

More people could stand to be like him, Eve reckoned. Relaxed, but not overly so. Confident in his position without being arrogant.

But she digressed.

After the basic foundation of the alliance was set, Chrom and other Ylisseans moved out, intent on returning to Ylisse to inform his sister, the Exalt. Emmeryn and her council would work on the remainder of the details in conjunction with Flavia and the newly subordinate Basilio through letters and representatives. The Shepherds' job was done and so they embarked on the journey back to their home, now plus one with the Chon'sin native, Lon'qu.

And Eve noticed almost immediately that no one knew quite what to do with him.

Chrom had welcomed him easily enough, that was certain, but Lon'qu seemed to make no effort to react to that welcome. He was a taciturn man, speaking frankly with others and downright avoiding the rest—especially the females.

The avoidance had rankled Sully's nerves judging by the grumbling Eve heard from the red-haired cavalier as she passed by. Miriel called it "fascinating" and Eve had no desire to explore what the mage might mean by that. Maribelle only sniffed and responded in kind, ignoring the man when she did not have to look out for and heal him. Lissa and Sumia were the only ones who appeared unfazed by the treatment; the former more so than the latter. Eve suspected Lissa had something mischievous planned, however, judging by the gleam she saw lingering in the princess's eyes.

After taking her time observing the Shepherds and their reactions to the newest recruit, Eve began making her own plans. She did not delude herself into thinking that she would be exempt from his awkward treatment of women. But she knew that as the Shepherds' tactician that she had to know Lon'qu, had to understand his skill beyond word of mouth, in order to keep him alive in the field. She had to know his limits and his strengths.

So when the Shepherds inevitably stumbled upon another skirmish with the Risen—they appeared to be increasing in number, much to everyone's unease—she partnered herself with him and allowed no room for backtalk. Not that he would have. His reaction upon hearing the order had been a slight furrowing of his brow and his ever-prominent frown deepening into almost a scowl—but he did not protest. He merely palmed the hilt of his sword, nodded tersely, and awaited her next orders with the rest of them.

She gave them, clarifying for those who had questions, and within the next moment they were off. Eve waited patiently as Lon'qu climbed onto Kyanos's back behind her, noting that he avoided touching her as much as possible on his way up. Once he was settled, she nudged Kyanos into a run, listening to Lon'qu's grunt of surprise when they did not take immediately to the air.

Eve supposed he had a reason to be—pegasi were often used to simply fly given their wings. But, as her mother firmly taught her and the rest of the young pegasus knight recruits, pegasi have legs for a _reason_. While a wyvern's gait on the ground would be next to useless during battle, too slow and awkward, a pegasus with its wings tucked in was as versatile as a horse.

She wanted to see Lon'qu in action. So she would bring him into action.

Directing Kyanos's reigns with one hand while the other held on to her spear, she and Lon'qu charged into battle with the other Shepherds. Lon'qu quickly got the hint and readied his sword.

The swordsman was brilliant, she would give him that much. And more. Basilio had not been exaggerating of his prowess when he introduced the man to Chrom.

His blade was sharp enough to detach Risen heads with one swing, cutting through the air with such ease that it was reminiscent of her own wind blades. Even more, he was comfortable enough fighting from on top of a horse that he kept his balance even with both of his arms out, guiding his blade. Then, when Eve informed him of an oncoming Risen approaching the unsuspecting Sumia and Frederick, he leapt off with nary a word and sprinted off, intercepting the creature before it could make itself known.

When the battle was over, she told him of her impressions on his skill. She watched with blooming amusement as he shifted awkwardly, replying gruffly and shooing her away, suddenly avoiding her as he had just moments before the fight began. Not five minutes earlier, before the all-clear was sounded, he had been right on Kyanos's back again, leaning with her as they weaved through the field and trees.

In the next battle the following day, Eve directed Lon'qu to work with Maribelle and watched with no little trepidation when the two shot one another looks full of suspicion and doubt. Thankfully, neither voiced their concerns and agreed, listening to the rest of her instructions. When Eve took to the air with Sumia, she resolved to watch over them as she guided Sumia into the typical attack formations of pegasus knights.

This time, she found herself confused as Lon'qu did not ride behind Maribelle but ran alongside her and her steed. They carried her orders out to the letter, but Lon'qu often ran off ahead, leaving Maribelle to trail behind him.

"Wait!" became a regular utterance to hear from Maribelle that day. "I said wait, you foolish man!"

Lon'qu did not listen, though he did double back when he heard a Risen approaching Maribelle to cut it down before it could get to her. When it was down, Eve watched from her vantage point as he seemed to look over Maribelle briefly before turning again without a word.

Curious.

The Shepherds faced one last fight before reaching Ylisse, and during that time Eve finally partnered Lon'qu with another man. Stahl agreed easily to fight alongside Lon'qu, who did not react visibly in any way. Eve tried to keep an eye on the two during the fight, but was forced to look away more often than not when reinforcements arrived and nearly cornered Lissa and Virion. From the brief glimpses she got, however, she noted that Lon'qu treated Stahl nothing like how he had acted with her and Maribelle. He was more at ease, to be sure, but there was also none of that strange concern she had seen in him when protecting Maribelle.

"You have that look in your eyes," Chrom said when the battle finally finished, walking up to her and Kyanos with an appraising gaze.

"'Look', Captain?" Eve asked.

"I've just figured it out now, I think, but there's this look you get when you're thinking of something. Planning something," he said with a fond sort of smile. "What's on your mind?"

Eve's gaze was drawn to where the rest of the Shepherds were gathering to patch up wounds and assure one another of their safety. Lon'qu stood at the edge of it, observing impassively.

"Ah," Chrom said. A glance told her that he had followed her gaze. "I should have figured you would be doing your analyzing. You did that with Donnel." He went quiet for a few moments as he watched with her, careful not to make it seem as if he were watching anyone in particular. "What have you learned?"

"His avoidance of women is not crippling," Eve replied eventually. "He can fight alongside anyone without it hindering his skill, though he is conscious of it. He's more at ease fighting with other men, but he won't leave a woman to die or get himself killed should the opposite occur." She blinked and looked away, catching Chrom's eyes. "His skill is as phenomenal as Basilio said they would be. You should thank him when next we see him."

The prince chuckled. "I'll remember that, then. So you know what to do with him then?"

It should have worried her, the way he so easily allowed her to mold his troops. She ran all of the ideas by him first, true, but he allowed it all the same.

It should have worried her, but instead she felt the beginnings of pride.

"I have a feeling," she said, then hopped off of Kyanos's back and joined the others to take their injuries into account.

* * *

Back in Ylisstol, while Chrom and Frederick busied themselves with Exalt Emmeryn and her council, the Shepherds returned to the garrison. They were glad for the respite, many retreating to their rooms or gathering in the kitchens to have a decent meal.

Others joined Eve in the training field, eager to work on their newly developing skills, such as Donnel and Lissa, or simply because it was habit, such as Lon'qu.

"Why don't you train with Lon'qu, Donnel?" Eve suggested, one-part scheming and two-parts genuine. "His swordsmanship may be slightly different from yours given the style of Chon'sin, but sparring with him may give you a better feel for how you should attack and defend."

When Donnel shot off with all the excitement of an overly friendly puppy, Eve watched with Lissa as he approached the myrmidon. As it was not a battle, Lon'qu had no reason to agree. But Donnel needed the practice and Lon'qu, for all his brusqueness, would be the perfect teacher. Thus, it was to Eve's surprise that he did agree, directing Donnel some ways away from him. The order to pull out his sword was easily heard even from where the two women stood.

With a shared smile, Eve and Lissa got on to Lissa's own training, with Eve advising the princess on how best to wield the axe and staff in accord.

* * *

On the second day since their return, Eve was introduced to another Shepherd when he stopped by the garrison in search of Prince Chrom.

Ricken was quite small even for his age, which Eve would place at around mid-teenaged years at the least, wearing a floppy hat and robes that clearly distinguished him as a mage. The way he held himself and how he walked told her that he was of noble bearing, for even when he seemed meek he kept his head level—not tipped to the floor or anywhere else.

"The Captain should still be at the capitol," Sully provided when no one else spoke up to his inquiries. They were in what Eve would call the garrison's common room, where the soldiers would gather and leisurely spend their time when not training or otherwise called out to duty.

"Oh…" Ricken replied, shoulders falling. "Do you know when he'll be in?"

"Not for a while," Eve called out now, feeling somewhat guilty that she could not give him more concrete information when his shoulders drooped further.

"I see. Well, I guess I'll just—"

Before he could finish, Maribelle walked in from behind him. She blinked in polite inquiry. "Ricken? It's uncouth to linger in doorways. Come, sit." And despite the fact that Maribelle was not much taller than he was, she easily maneuvered him into the room, seating him across Lissa and her amongst the other Shepherds.

Eve tried to smile to assuage his discomfort. "I don't believe we've met before; my name is Eve."

Ricken seemed relieved to have someone to focus on, introducing himself in turn.

"Eve's a Shepherd, but she's also Chrom's tactician," Lissa piped up, likely for Ricken's benefit. There was a small, mischievous undertone to her voice, however, that made Eve rather suspicious.

The reason why made itself clear when Ricken looked at Eve again, this time his eyes wide and filled with no little awe. But not for her. "Really? Chrom made you his tactician?"

He meant nothing insulting by his question, so Eve nodded. She felt uncomfortable when his eyes had yet to shift away, as if he were trying to piece something together about her.

"Ricken's a Shepherd, too," said Lissa then, this time for Eve, "but Chrom doesn't normally let him go out on missions with us because he's too young."

Eve blinked, watching as Ricken's face fell and change into something indignant and troubled. She supposed she knew why; to be judged by one's age was never easy to swallow. But at the same time she could understand Chrom's reasoning. Although Lissa and Donnel and even Maribelle were rather young to be in any form of army, to be younger than even _that_ gave room for concern.

She said none of this, however, willfully turning a blind eye with the rest of them as Ricken tried to school his expression into something more neutral, falling into conversation with the rest of them of their recent travels. They obliged him with stories of what he missed, as if silently agreeing to try to keep his mind off the matter.

She had a feeling that they failed.

* * *

It was five days after their return to Ylisse from Regna Ferox, three days since Ricken began visiting them regularly, when Chrom came storming into the garrison with Frederick at his heels.

"Get ready," he ordered, voice stern and tense with anger. "We're heading out as soon as we can. There's been an attack."

Eve stayed behind at the Shepherds flew into motion. "What's happened, sir?"

Chrom barely spared her a glance as he headed towards their armory, taking stock of their weapons. "One of Phila's pegasus knight units found a village under attack on their patrol. They suspect brigands, but the damage is extensive and the fire isn't going out. One reported that she saw a group of Plegian soldiers fleeing the site. We're going to assist them and see if we can determine what happened."

His tone gave no room for argument, not that she would have, but she nodded regardless and left to prepare her own things. The mention of an undying fire made her hesitate, but she eventually reached into the pack she kept from her travels with her mother, pulling out a tome and replacing the one she kept in its usual holster. When she locked it in place, she gathered the rest of her items and departed to see to Kyanos.

She was joined midway by Ricken.

"I want to go, too!" he demanded. Then, wincing, he added in a more sheepish tone, "Please."

Eve looked at him. "That's not my call to make."

Which was true, in a way. While Eve made calls on which people to send into battle, Chrom was the one who was in charge of who was in the actual army. As far as Eve knew, Ricken was a Shepherd in name only.

"I've tried asking Chrom, but he never says yes. Like Lissa says, he thinks I'm too young," Ricken explained, trying to keep pace with her longer strides. "But that doesn't mean anything! I can hold my own! I've sparred with the others plenty of times—you've even seen some of 'em!"

"Sparring is not the same as actual combat, Ricken," Eve cautioned.

"I know, but still!" He reached out to grab her sleeve and she stopped. "You're his tactician, you can tell him—I know I look small, but I can definitely help you guys. Please!"

Eve's earlier arguments warred inside of her as she considered his case. She could both agree and disagree with both sides; it would be hypocritical of her to deny him due to his age when she had started fighting at a younger one, but being the elder made her feel more responsible for him. If he were harmed or, gods forbid, killed, she would feel no end of guilt for allowing him to go.

But looking at him now, having seen him spar with the others in the past few days, also gave her insight to his potential.

And if the tension continued to grow between Ylisse and Plegia, it may not be long until boys of Ricken's age were pulled in to fight regardless of anyone's wishes.

Eve was nothing if not pragmatic, and it was that trait that made her nod.

"You will listen and obey every order I or Prince Chrom give you," she said sternly over his sigh of relief. "I don't know what you expect, but don't be disappointed when you see that this line of work is not glamorous. It's nothing like the tales you see in storybooks."

"I know. I'm not a kid," the young noble complained, looking put out by her words.

Eve came very close to glaring. "I am telling you this for your own good. _Not_ to patronize you. While sparring can help you prepare for it, being on the field is nothing like a spar. While sparring, we deliberately hold back and redirect our attacks to prevent casualties. One wrong move out there, in the middle of battle, could cost you your _life_, Ricken, or that of your comrades. Listening to your commanding officers isn't a guarantee that something else won't go wrong, but we do our best to keep you alive. Now, do you agree or not?"

Ricken nodded, suitably chastised.

"Good. Go get ready."

She watched as he ran off, steps eager as he disappeared around a corner. Shaking her head, she pressed on for the stables and hoped that she did not make the wrong decision.


	18. The Mad King is Mad

**Disclaimer**: I do not own _Fire Emblem Awakening_ nor any of the canon characters from there. As for any original characters that may show up, any resemblance they may have to others is highly likely coincidental. If not and they happen to reference some other character or fandom on purpose or by accident, I don't own that either! (Also don't own the summary quote, which is from _InuYasha_.)

**Other Notes**: Many apologies for the delay on this chapter. It really, really, _really _didn't want to be written. I swear, it fought with me every step of the way so I also must apologize if this chapter seems particularly bland or crappy to any of you. Also if I worried any of you that I was dropping this story, please don't. I try not to drop any story I write completely—it's always on the back of my mind waiting to be continued.

(Alsoalso, I am flattered that you guys think this story is good and deserves more reviews. I honestly don't mind the lack of reviews personally—I'm grateful it gets hits at all, really. Still, to those of you who take the time to review, whether with praises or criticisms, you have my love and appreciation.)_**  
**_

* * *

_**The Wings of Goodbye**_

**Chapter Eighteen  
**

* * *

The village was in bad shape by the time the Shepherds arrived.

Chrom cursed under his breath when he saw the smoke rising from the still-raging fires, urging the group to move faster. When they neared, they found the able-bodied villagers moving frantically to carry out orders from the pegasus knights and various Ylissean soldiers that made it there before them, trying to subdue the flames. A small number of mages were amongst them, magic energy swirling in the air as they desperately tried to contain the fire from spreading any further.

This was not a battlefield—not entirely, anyway—so Chrom gave the orders without Eve's input, delegating tasks with the calm fury that only a righteous leader could possess. The Shepherds snapped to attention without complaint or banter, hurrying on to join the rest of the effort as soon as they were let loose.

Eve joined the other mages with Ricken and Miriel, assessing the fire with a critical eye as they took the place of a few others, switching out to give them time to recover.

It was an enchanted fire. That much was certain. But exactly what the fire was enchanted with and how it was made were the more important issues. Most flames made by the incantations of the average tomes were regular fires, capable of being put out by dousing it with water or snuffed with earth. An enchanted fire, however, could rage for days even in heavy downpour depending on its source. They would have to work quickly to identify it lest they lose the entire village.

The more Eve observed it from where she stood with the others, channeling her power to help keep it contained, the more her suspicions grew.

"Do either of you two notice anything around the fire?" she asked the two mages standing with her, arms outstretched to guide their magicks in the right direction.

Ricken looked up at her, confused, before looking back at the fire. Miriel reached up to adjust her glasses, the lenses glinting.

"Marginally," said Miriel. "It is faint, but I can just vaguely make out an outline surrounding the flames, particularly where they appear especially abundant."

Eve's eyes narrowed, staring hard at the fire. Beside her, Ricken inquired as to what they were talking about, but Eve paid him no mind as she focused in on what Miriel pointed out.

An outline, she called it. A barrier, perhaps? But that would not explain the strength of the flames. It was something else, used like a power source to fuel the destruction.

Eve paused. Power source. Fuel.

Of course.

Opening her mind, she reached out to the raging fire with her magic and felt it call to her, sickly sweet whispers that promised power latching on immediately. She shook them off with a grimace, pulling back with more effort than she would have liked.

"It's dark magic," she announced for the others' benefit. She felt their gazes turn to her, but she looked only to one of the Ylissean mages that remained nearby. "Are there any soldiers with the ability to harness dark magic? We'll need their help to put out the fire."

The mage affirmed and ran off to collect said individuals. Beside Eve, Miriel looked calculating, the lenses of her glasses glinting in the light of the flames. "You are knowledgeable in how to successfully quell this conflagration?"

Eve could only give an empty smile. "Dark magic operates by one law and one law only—power." When she was but a girl, she had always associated dark magic with her father and thus marked it as evil. But growing up and seeing the evil that could exist in life even without dark magic had taught her much. There was nothing good or evil about dark magic. Dark magic was just another form of power. It cared not to harm or destroy—all of that rested within the wielder. Dark magic, like all forms of power, simply consumed. "All it takes to get rid of this is to simply overpower it."

Several sets of footsteps rapidly approached and Eve allowed the mage from before to take her spot as she joined the others in taking a new position around the fires. After explaining what they found, they were quick to move and suppress the flames, smothering it with what basically amounted to magical blunt force.

Cheers sounded as the fires finally began to be put out, but Eve could find no reason to join them.

It would have been so much simpler had the attack simply been a group of brigands spreading chaos as they were wont to do. But this—this was much more complicated. This had consequences that she was not sure that Ylisse was prepared to face.

Because dark magic was a staple of Plegia, and the enchanted fires here were marked all over like a Plegian brand. And if what Chrom said was true, that a pegasus knight was unmistaken in her report about Plegian soldiers being the attackers, then it would be folly on Ylisse's part to turn a blind eye no matter how Exalt Emmeryn wished for peace. There would be calls to act on the injustice. Calls for blood.

War would be on the horizon.

* * *

The Shepherds remained in the village well into the evening, with plans to set up camp nearby as they saw to the villagers' welfare. Eve and Sumia joined the other pegasus knights in bringing supplies in from afar or ferrying the worst-injured to receive medical assistance. Every so often, Eve would return to get an update from Chrom, but the prince was busy working with Frederick on taking eye-witness accounts that they rarely amounted to more than casualty numbers or supply lists.

It was only when it became too dark for them to fly safely that Eve and Sumia were ordered to rest, joining the rest of the Shepherds around their section of the camp.

"Good work out there," Sully greeted as both women sat down.

Sumia gave a tired and timid smile, the flush in her cheeks from flight not fading in the least now with the compliment.

"Did anything new happen while we were away?" Eve asked as she accepted a bowl of food—it looked to be some sort of stew—from Stahl. In the corner of her eyes, she could see another bowl appear beside Sumia, who reacted with surprise, and had to blink before realizing that it had been Kellam who placed it there.

"Not much," Sully said. "There was a lot of talk about the villagers. Where to house them for now as they rebuilt and whatnot. There are some people missing, too, most likely lost in the chaos when they tried to evacuate, so there are plans to go searching for them in the woods. But other than that and seeing to the injured? Nothin'."

"Any news on the attackers?" Eve asked carefully.

There was a brief silence before Lon'qu, surprisingly, answered, "The prince wished to pursue them immediately, following the path that the knight said they took." There was a slight twitch in the swordsman's normally impassive face that told Eve he was displeased. "He was advised to leave it for now."

"Frederick convinced him to wait until tomorrow morning," Stahl helpfully elaborated. "Something about it being too late in the day to traverse the mountain paths and ensuring the safety of the village first."

Clever, Eve thought. While Chrom would not have been dissuaded by the thought of a dangerous path in the dark, the idea of leaving his people defenseless would stay his hand. And likely for the best, too. Eve had never met the man in person, but she had heard many things about Mad King Gangrel from her mother and various travelers. If it were his soldiers that instigated this attack, then what lay at the end of the path Chrom would have followed would have been nothing but another reason for war.

She only wished she knew _why_ the Mad King wanted war with Ylisse yet again, other than being completely mad. But even in his madness he had not tried anything after the end of the last war, intelligent enough to know that any attempt to antagonize Ylisse would end in his loss. For him to deliberately act, here and now… was there something he had, something he knew, that would lay Ylisse low?

Furthermore, where did the Grimleal, Plegia's true power, stand behind all of this?

Eve sighed, scarcely realizing that she had finished her meal as she set her bowl down. When Stahl offered her more, she politely refused. "I'm full. And tired. I believe I'll turn in for the night."

There was a chorus of farewells as she stood, leaving the fire's comforting glow as she took off in the direction of the women's tent that Sully directed her to. She stepped in and selected an empty cot. Kicking off her boots and removing her armor, she laid down and tried to force her active mind to sleep.

It was difficult. The questions revolved around her head with an incessant buzzing, unknown variables making themselves known like gaping holes. Too little information known, too many ways the situation can turn. Would they be ready to face whatever lay ahead? Would _Eve_ be ready, be strong enough, to help guide them?

Memories of her mother's corpse, of her counterpart's smiling face in death, flashed across her mind, stealing away her breath. Shuddering, she tossed over on her side as if to throw the image off.

Sleep, she begged her mind. Tomorrow morning, she could worry. Tomorrow morning, she could deal with it all again. But until then, _sleep_.

And by some miracle, she did.

* * *

It did not occur to Eve that the troubles she begged to wait until morning would do just that. They waited and, the moment dawn broke, came searching for her in a very peculiar form.

That is, the form of one of her mother's informants.

The Shepherds were just waking and gathering around the campfire for breakfast when a villager approached them. Donnel was the one approached and, after a moment of confusion, called Eve out from the crowd. When she looked up, he waved her over.

"What is it?" she asked as she approached, eyeing the villager with caution. Donnel seemed calm enough, but she reminded herself that he was still learning to be a soldier. Even his natural instincts could miss things if a professional wanted him to miss them.

"This fella said he wanted t' talk to ya," the former farm-boy told her, gesturing to the man beside him. "Said he knew ya and had news ya should hear."

Guarded, Eve looked to the nondescript man, trying to pinpoint him in a memory but failing. Her hand twitched for the tome at her back when he moved, bowing.

"Glad am I to see you hale and whole even in the wake of such a grim day, milady," he said and instantly Eve felt a part of herself relax at the familiar code.

"Grim, indeed," she agreed, "and glad am I to see you are the same. How is your family?"

"A few scratches here, bruises there, but still whole, praise be to Naga. And yours?"

A brittle smile crossed Eve's lips even as she waved Donnel back to the group. "Broken."

Genuine sympathy entered the man's eyes. "I am sorry to hear that."

She shook her head. "As am I. But we can speak of that another day. What news did you have for me?"

He hesitated, clearly mindful of their open surroundings, but only for a moment. It was so quick that Eve barely caught it. "The prince… word is that he wishes to pursue the bandits that attacked the town."

"He does."

"Do not let him." Eve was taken aback by the abrupt reply, stepping back. "They were Plegians. That much is true—I could confirm that knowledge from what I saw with my own eyes. But what the lady knight did not see was the watcher in the sky that oversaw the attack: a woman that rode a dark pegasus, much like you."

The new information made Eve freeze. "A dark flier?"

The villager nodded, expression dark. "News does not cross easily between the countries due to our feuds, but our village often catches most of it, lying as close to the border as we do. That woman was most certainly Aversa, a close subordinate of the Mad King. Rumor has it that since she was appointed, she has rarely been seen away from the king's side."

Which implied that Gangrel—terrible, mad Gangrel—would be waiting with his soldiers, to see if Ylisse took the bait. To see if Chrom, in all his righteous fury, would storm across the border to exact justice and give Gangrel his reason to call for war.

"…Thank you," Eve said eventually, belatedly, as her mind caught up with all of the implications. "I will let the captain know right away."

The man nodded. "Godspeed, milady."

As she walked away, Eve was tempted to turn back and ask for his name—or whatever name he wished to give her, as Celia and Gwendal had done—but decided not to. If she had need of him, she knew his location now, if only vaguely. And to protect his identity, it was sometimes best just to leave it at that.

* * *

Chrom would not be dissuaded from his pursuit. Not this time, even with the reasoning Eve all but threw at him. The near certainty of Gangrel's presence did nothing to deter him from the decision he had made the night before, which was to wait until morning to continue with his plans.

It was morning now, and so he would continue regardless of what the others tried to tell him.

"We have to, Eve," he insisted when she tried again to tell him to back down. His face was a determined mask when he turned to face her. "And when you tell me that Gangrel is sure to be there, then I definitely can't just leave. Who's to say he'll just back off if we don't follow? He might just decide to return and finish the village off, just to incite us further."

Eve could say nothing to that, for it had certainly crossed her mind. So it was with mild reluctance that she joined the others, grimly prepared to face whatever lay ahead of them on the border between countries.

She was not surprised when they were stopped as they neared the metaphorical line, an arrow shooting out and landing several feet ahead of Chrom from where he led the procession. In seconds, everyone was armed and ready, watching with tense expressions as figures in Plegian colors stepped out along the ledges and from behind trees.

At the front, dressed in ostentatious garb and with a wicked-looking blade at his hip, was the Mad King.

"Well, well, if it isn't the goody two-shoes prince in all his glory," was Gangrel's greeting drawl. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your illustrious presence at the border this fine day?"

Chrom's hands clenched into fists. "As if you don't know, you dastard!"

A sharp, red eyebrow arched high on the king's forehead. "Oh? And why don't you—" he snickered, "—_enlighten_ me, Your Highness?"

"The village you tried to raze to the ground!" Chrom burst out. "Its villagers that your soldiers harmed and killed! People saw your soldiers leave and you think you can just get away with that?"

The Mad King gave a gasp that was too affected to be real, hand going to his chest in feigned hurt. "Raze an Ylissean village to the ground? Why, what sort of monster do you take me for? And, to think, that I was just taking the time to wait here for you to return a lost, little girl only to face such cruel accusations!"

His words made Chrom jolt as if struck. "What?"

Dread filled Eve when Gangrel snorted in amusement, the sound audible even from the distance as he waved to something behind him. Two soldiers stepped into view, dragging a limp and ragged-looking village girl between them. Her shoulders shook with fear, and she whimpered when they all but threw her forward at their king's feet.

Eve was certain that she was not the only one grateful that Chrom had insisted on walking into the trap upon seeing her. She pushed the feelings of guilt for wanting to leave earlier away, focusing instead on how to get the girl out to safety in the skirmish that was sure to follow.

"Indeed," Gangrel continued in a dramatic tone, "last night, I was out traveling, seeing my country, when this poor little girlie comes running through like a scared mouse. And I, in my _infinite_ kindness, decide to escort her back home, personally! And you have the nerve to accuse me of such horrible things to my face. How can I be certain that it was not just a group of brigands that razed your village that you're using to pin the blame on _me_?" He reached down to tug the girl up by her arm like a ragdoll. "What if this was planned? Is she some spy for Ylisse, hm? Sent across my border with her sob story to take advantage of my people? Why, I've half a mind to slay her here and now to be safe!"

The girl sobbed, sounding hysteric.

Chrom stepped forward. "Let her go, Gangrel!"

The Mad King laughed, dropping the girl's arm and waving his hand again. The two soldiers from before stepped in to drag her back, her cries growing louder as she was pulled further from sight of Chrom and the others. "I don't think you understand the situation here, Princey—you don't have the right to demand anything." He sighed in a seemingly disappointed manner. "Honestly, you're so _boring_. So impatient. Why don't you just be a good little brother and fetch your big sister so the grown-ups can talk?"

"As if I'd let Emmeryn anywhere near you!" Chrom growled.

"No?" Gangrel appeared amused. He grinned, all teeth, in the face of Chrom's fury. "Well then, I suppose this little conversation is useless. I was always more a man of action, myself… so I suppose I'll just have to summon Her Graceliness here, using your death as the message!" He cackled and threw out his hand, a rallying cry of his soldiers sounding behind him, accompanied by the shrieks of wyverns hidden amongst the higher ledges.

Eve spun to face the Shepherds, snapping out orders using what information she could gather about their surroundings during the conversation. They were quick to fall into formation, the sudden appearance of battle almost a habit to them now after the numerous Risen attacks they encountered in their travels.

It was only when she turned to order Ricken to stay with her, where she could keep an eye on him, that she realized he was nowhere to be found.


	19. Battle on the Mountain

**Disclaimer**: I do not own _Fire Emblem Awakening_ nor any of the canon characters from there. As for any original characters that may show up, any resemblance they may have to others is highly likely coincidental. If not and they happen to reference some other character or fandom on purpose or by accident, I don't own that either! (Also don't own the summary quote, which is from _InuYasha_.)

**Other Notes**: Sometimes I wonder about chapter length. Is this too short? I know it definitely isn't too long, but I wonder what others think sometimes. I'll try to write longer chapters if other people would prefer it, but for now I'm just writing as much as the chapter demands and ending when it feels like it should end. Let me know your opinions if you'd like and I'll adjust accordingly._**  
**_

* * *

_**The Wings of Goodbye**_

**Chapter Nineteen  
**

* * *

Ricken was not a child, but even he had to admit that sneaking away from the Shepherds to approach the enemy without anyone as back-up _might_ have been a little foolish.

But he was already more than halfway there, taking a path up the mountainside that wasn't being watched, so he couldn't turn back now. He was careful to not be seen—his small form helped with that, and the dark robes of his outfit blended nicely with the shadows of the trees—and he watched with keen eyes as the soldiers took the girl back at Gangrel's dismissal.

He wasn't stupid. He knew he couldn't do something as amazing as take out the many Plegian soldiers. But he also knew he was at least strong enough to rescue this girl from a couple of them.

Ricken took a steadying breath as he continued his approach, watching with indignant loathing on the girl's behalf as the two barbarians leered at her. He clutched his tome, opening it and holding an arm out to guide the wind straight in the two brutes' direction.

"Poor little girl," a new voice suddenly sounded from beyond Ricken's line of sight. He froze in the middle of his mental incantation as the voice's owner stepped into view.

It was a woman, dressed in revealing dark clothes—if they could even be called that. Her skin was darkly tanned as many Plegians' were, covered in strange markings that fairly reeked of dark arts. Her hair, though, was some shade of silver or perhaps white, as it appeared more blonde in the sparse light let in by the canopy rather than the metallic hue that Eve's hair took in the same lighting.

"I have to say, you Ylisseans certainly have some bleeding hearts for rulers," the woman continued. "Must be nice, to know that a prince would go to war over a stupid girl like you."

The girl's only reply was to sob.

"Oh, hush. Don't worry, I'll put you out of your misery. Your role is over here anyway." At this, the girl began to beg for her life as the dark-clad woman gestured for one of the soldiers nearby to hand her his sword.

Ricken, unable to watch, jumped up and hurled the wind magic from his tome forward with all the strength he had. He had only the barest of moments to grin in triumph as it caught all three Plegians, throwing the two barbarians back several feet while making the woman stagger. Then, his mind shouting at him to focus, he ran forward to grab the village girl and drag her back the way he came.

"Wretched whelp!" the woman called out behind him, but he ignored her and kept running, urging the girl along behind him.

"Come on!" he encouraged, though his own heart was racing as he heard the approaching footfalls of enemy soldiers converging all around them.

Yeah, maybe he should have thought this through a little better.

* * *

Eve, for all her hatred of knowing her sensitivity to magic was passed down from her father (who was, without doubt, a powerful sorcerer), could not help but be thankful for that sensitivity now when her senses homed in on the blast of wind magic like a light in the darkness. Latching on to the magic signature that cast it, she urged Kyanos into the sky after it with nary a word to the others. She would explain herself if need be later, with Ricken hopefully in hand.

"Ricken!" she called out as she felt his signature rapidly moving through the trees. It turned at her voice and zoomed straight for her, and she watched with apprehension when she found that he was being accompanied by another. So, when the young mage burst out from the foliage with the captured village girl in hand, Eve was torn between exasperation and a strange sort of pride for the boy.

She shook her head and guided Kyanos down, jumping off. Giving Ricken a stern glare, she said, "I've half a mind to yell at you for this stunt here and now, but I realize it's hardly the time." She jerked her head to her pegasus. "Get on, both of you. And get ready for a bumpy ride." She turned to pull her mother's lance free from where it was strapped to Kyanos's side, ever ready for combat, before helping the younger two up. "I would prefer to have you both fly back to the others, but I don't know the exact number Gangrel called for or if he has archers hiding, so I won't risk it without me there to guide you. Can you fight from horseback, Ricken?"

The redhead nodded, the movement jerky and wide-eyed as he looked back up at the forest he'd just exited, knowing exactly why she'd even asked.

As the enemy swiftly approached, Eve readied her lance and threw her mind back to all of the lessons her mother gave her on close-combat fighting should anything ever befall Kyanos and leave her without his back to fight upon. She would have to take the time to train on her own feet more when they got out of this mess. If they got out of this mess.

A flash of red appeared through the trees.

"Let's go," she muttered to Kyanos. As one, they charged.

* * *

It was worrying when Eve took off without a word, but Chrom knew she always had a reason for doing the things she did so he forced it out of his mind and tried to concentrate on the other things he should worry about.

Like the Mad King and why he wanted to talk to Emmeryn. Why he wanted leverage over her, even if it were just a village maiden—because Emmeryn would negotiate for the life of anyone, be they family or the most distant of her citizens. She was that devoted to her cause, to peace in all the lands, and while Chrom admired her greatly for it, it made him anxious like nothing else.

Because her caring and gentle nature could be so easily used, so easily manipulated. Gangrel had likely been counting on that, but when she was not the one to show up, he chose to attack more directly. It was plain to see that the Mad King would easily hang his and Lissa's possible deaths over her head. Would throw their bodies right at Ylisse's doorstep if he could to see her crumble and give in to his demands, whatever they were.

Chrom could not, would not, allow that to happen. So he fought with everything he had, even if it meant the Mad King using his rashness against him, pinning the blame on his shoulders if he got out alive.

He would have to speak with Eve later to see what she gleaned from the conversation, if she caught anything that he had not. Then, when they returned to Ylisstol, he would have to let Emmeryn know and see if she could discern any reason that Gangrel would wish to negotiate anything with her—or confirm any suspicions that he and Eve had.

But first, getting out alive. That was always a good first step.

* * *

Eve swung the lance, using it more like a bludgeon than the piercing weapon it was meant to be. It was a dangerous way of using the polearm considering the closed space she was in, surrounded by trees and enemies everywhere, but she couldn't risk sticking the blade in a body and being unable to pull it out in time to meet another. Even with Ricken backing her up, it was best to use the long handle of the lance itself to stun and incapacitate the enemy soldiers as they ran.

"Keep going!" she ordered when Ricken jerked Kyanos to pause as she took out another beast of a man that ran after them with an axe. Kyanos heard her command and continued on despite Ricken's protest, Eve hurrying along after them. The village girl was crying again, maybe never having actually stopped, but Eve refused to go slower or soften up in order to calm her. To do so would mean their deaths. "Ricken, I told you to follow orders! I am ordering you now to keep moving!"

"But—!" he began to protest, but was cut off when another group of Plegian reinforcements tore through the underbrush nearby.

Cursing, Eve lowered her lance and reached for the tome at her back. Flipping it open in one smooth movement, she chanted a modified spell and shot it forward. A whirlwind of power tore through the trees from the book's pages, sending the enemy flying.

The moment they were out of sight and hopefully disoriented or out cold, Eve returned the tome to its holster, breathing hard. The powerful magic was draining and she was highly aware that she would not be able to keep fighting if she used it too often.

They had to make it back to the others. And fast.

* * *

Sumia was worried.

Eve had flown off not long ago, but both armies were already engaged in what felt like endless fighting. Even as Prince Chrom led their forces and took down one unit of enemy soldiers, another would pop up as if from nowhere to replace them. She and the other Shepherds were doing their best to take the mountainside, but it was slow-going.

They had to keep together, as Eve ordered, but the Plegian forces were doing their best to separate them.

"Ah!" Lissa gasped from her spot sitting behind Sumia. "Sumia! Look! Over there…!"

The brunette turned to where the princess was pointing and gasped herself. There, in a distant, wooded area, Kyanos tore out into the open, his rider absent and replaced by Ricken and the young girl they saw earlier. They looked roughed up yet whole, but… "Where's Eve?"

At Lissa's urging, Sumia called down to the others that she was going to back up Eve—though the woman herself was nowhere in sight. Down below, steadily making their way up a path, Donnel shouted an affirmative with a promise to arrive soon in case they needed more help.

Taking a deep breath and willing her pounding heart to calm, Sumia urged her pegasus closer.

"Ricken!" Lissa cried as they approached.

The red-haired mage spun around on Kyanos's back, the relief on his face clear. "Lissa!" he called back. "Thank the gods!"

Sumia had her pegasus land, cautious and watchful for enemy units. Lissa, meanwhile, dismounted and hurried over to Ricken, axe strapped to her back as she carried her healing stave to look over them.

As the princess busied herself with healing their wounds, Sumia peered around and asked again, "Where's Eve?"

The worry that bloomed on Ricken's face did nothing for her nerves. "She separated from us just a little before we got out of there," he said, gesturing to the wooded area behind them. "She said she'll be a distraction so we can get back to the others."

"Oh no…" Sumia said, and she could tell that now that the adrenaline was dying down, Ricken felt the same fear, the same panic, as her.

Eve was skilled, perhaps even stronger than most others in the Shepherds, but would she be okay? Especially on her own without even Kyanos?

Gripping her lance, Sumia looked down and took another deep breath.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

_Calm_.

"I… I'll go after her," she said, summoning as much courage and conviction as she could. The two younger Shepherds looked at her in alarm, but she forced herself to keep calm. "I've trained a lot. I—I can do this. I know I can. You guys wait here for the others."

There was a tense moment as Ricken and Lissa seemed to communicate without saying a word. But eventually, the princess nodded. "We'll be right here and will bring the others when we can. Be careful!"

"I will!" Sumia said, though her heart was pounding and begging her to flee. As she pushed her pegasus to take flight, to try and catch a glimpse of Eve from the air, she had to hold back the urge to throw up in her fear.

She had trained a lot with Eve, and progressed far beyond what she had started out with when she first joined. But would it be enough? She and her pegasus did not have the same bond that Eve had with Kyanos. Would _they_ be enough?

Unbidden, Eve's words from their first training session sprung to mind.

"_She's strong,_" Eve had said about Sumia's chosen pegasus partner, comparing her to another pegasus that Eve had known. A pegasus that Eve had trusted with her life, perhaps even more than Kyanos. "_Trust in her. I'm certain she won't let you fall._"

Strong.

Sumia wasn't strong. Not on her own.

But did she have to be? If there was one thing that training with Eve had taught her, had taught perhaps even the rest of the Shepherds, it was that they did not have to try to be invincible. They all had their weaknesses and their strengths, and were meant to depend on one another to cover them.

So no, Sumia wasn't strong. Not in the conventional sense.

But she was fast.

If anyone could get to Eve now, in the midst of enemy reinforcements, it would be Sumia.

Breathe in. Breathe out.

"Here goes!" she whispered to herself. For encouragement. For luck.

And Sumia _flew_.


	20. Queens of the Sky

**Disclaimer**: I do not own _Fire Emblem Awakening_ nor any of the canon characters from there. As for any original characters that may show up, any resemblance they may have to others is highly likely coincidental. If not and they happen to reference some other character or fandom on purpose or by accident, I don't own that either! (Also don't own the summary quote, which is from _InuYasha_.)_**  
**_

* * *

_**The Wings of Goodbye**_

**Chapter Twenty  
**

* * *

"_If, one day, you find yourself fighting alone," said Judith, "you must take care to always be aware of your surroundings. It would be best if you always paid attention to them even in a group, or with you and Kyanos, but at least then you can rely on others to look and see where you cannot."_

_Eve did not like the implications of her mother's words, that one day her mother and Ilyas and Kyanos may fall in battle and leave her by herself. But she listened because she knew this could one day save her life._

"_But if you are alone, always be aware. Treat every sound as a potential enemy, especially if you are outnumbered. Groups will always prey on the one they perceive to be weak. If you are alone, you are a target."_

The memory of her mother's warning ran through Eve's head now as she tore through the underbrush. She struggled to quiet her own breathing, ears straining to catch even the barest of sounds in the forest.

A shuffle to her left. A twig snapped somewhere behind her.

She darted forward—then ducked abruptly, using the momentum to throw herself into a roll. Something heavy went sailing overhead only to get stuck in the trunk of the tree ahead of her. Her brief tumble ended in a crouch and she unfurled, both hands thrusting her mother's lance to the side and up to meet the soldier that had tried to catch her as she escaped. The blade sunk in easily through the light armor he wore and he choked in surprise.

Movement from behind forced her to turn, yanking the lance out of the man's gut. She kicked him away as she rose, not wanting to deal with him acting as a hazard or grabbing her legs as she dealt with his compatriot.

The man swung down his axe and she jumped back. The power behind an axe strike was substantially stronger than a sword and could easily break her lance with the appropriate amount of force.

Considering the fact that her lance was her only weapon right now, other than her tome that could easily drain her energy if used too much and leave her helpless, she had no desire to test it.

Eve struggled to calm her breathing as she heard another enemy approaching from her right. Gripping her lance, she gauged her opponent's build—stocky, heavy muscles made to provide power. He was strong, but he was not meant to run.

She made a false swipe at him, to push him back, then fled.

"_Use the environment to your advantage!" Judith snapped, lashing out at her daughter with a wooden pole as a substitute for her lance. She frowned when Eve failed to dodge and it struck her side. As Eve winced, Judith pulled her makeshift weapon back, spreading her arms out to gesture to their current training field. "Your opponent currently outmatches you. Attacking head on in an open field like this is stupid because even if you can see everything they do, they can see _you_."_

_Tensing, Eve stepped slowly to the side before making her way to the small copse of trees. Judith allowed a small mercy and gave her a few seconds of a head start before following after._

"_In a forest, visibility can be limited, but they offer a small amount of defense if you can utilize it correctly," the older pegasus knight said. Then, a sardonic smile lifting one corner of her lips, she added, "But trees also provide a limited space to run in. And they're pretty good for throwing enemies into if you've got the power for it. If you can't kill them, incapacitate them. The former is permanent and sends a message for later pursuers, but if the latter helps you live another day anyway, then, well, that's as good a choice as any."_

More enemies. Converging from both sides.

Eve had to wonder how many people Gangrel gathered for this meeting. She did not question why he was willing to sacrifice them all—he was the Mad King, after all—but to go so far as to actually prepare them for this skirmish seemed illogical.

Then again, he had seemed prepared to face Exalt Emmeryn, or for her to be somewhere nearby, so perhaps he had just been gearing up for the worst.

Eve continued running until she could feel, with rudimentary magic sense, that they were all tailing her. With a deep breath, she grabbed her tome and turned, gathering the wind in her hands. With a shout, she thrust the book forward, pages facing outward, and watched as a veritable tornado shot out, striking straight through the group of enemies and flinging them every which way. She had to force herself not to flinch when the tell-tale _snap_ of bones breaking reached her, and she only stayed long enough to see if any of them would get up to chase her before she ran.

There were a few stirring, but she could put some distance between them before they had a chance to properly orient themselves.

The edge of the little woods was coming up and Eve approached it cautiously, wary of going out in the open. Her breathing was harder than before and she could feel her muscles aching with strain. Coupled with the magic drain of using the more powerful wind tome, her chances in prolonged fighting were dwindling.

The familiar sound of feathered wings beating caught her attention and she felt herself panic. Had Ricken gone after her even when she forced them to separate? Was he in the air now? He could be spotted by archers or worse, wyvern riders!

Cursing, Eve ran out, looking for the flying pegasus.

Her eyes widened as she found one, but not the one she was expecting.

"Eve!" Sumia cried, relief clear in her voice. "Thank goodness!"

Her fellow pegasus knight was alone and approached swiftly on her pegasus, landing beside Eve with relative ease.

"Sumia," Eve greeted. And she would be lying if she said she was not a bit relieved herself. "The others?"

"A bit behind," Sumia reported. "But no more than a few minutes. Lissa stayed behind to look over Ricken and the girl while I went after you."

"Did they make it out all right?" Eve asked.

Sumia nodded. "A few scratches here and there, but no serious damage. Captain Chrom and his team were successfully fighting their way up the other path when I last saw, too, but there are a lot of reinforcements."

"I see." Eve had a feeling. If there were this many just after her, she could only imagine how many were after the prince.

The Mad King truly did not play fair. Or was that his assistant's doing? The one Eve's informant called Aversa?

There was little time to speculate, so Eve shook her head. Their current task was to take out the enemy and survive. Her mission was to help them achieve that goal however she could.

"Were wyvern riders among the reinforcements you saw?"

"No."

"Which means they'll likely be sent out sooner or later, to pick off stragglers," Eve murmured. It was a sound tactic. Wyverns, degenerate dragons that they were, could be a brutal species. They locked onto prey and savagely tore into them, and were sometimes sadistic enough to grab them only to drop them from hundreds of feet in the air. Hoisting herself up behind Sumia, Eve carefully transferred her lance to her other hand so it did not interfere with Sumia's own lance-work. "Are you ready?"

Sumia swallowed, but nodded shakily. "Y—Yes."

Eve's eyes flicked to the shadows of the trees. Though her sensing was rough, she could catch just the faintest presence in the shadows. Laying a hand on Sumia's shoulder to steady her, she said in a low tone, "On my call, take off."

One beat.

Another.

"Go."

Sumia kicked and her pegasus lifted, wings snapping out and propelling them into the air faster than Eve expected. Below them, the whiz of an arrow passed and clattered off somewhere in the distance. Looking over the side, Eve watched as the archer ran into view, aiming another arrow at them as they gained altitude.

He shot, but Sumia moved them out of the way and then they were soaring, beyond where his arrows could reach.

"Head for the top of the mountain," Eve instructed, keeping her eyes trained on their surroundings for any other hidden archers.

"We're not going to rejoin the others?" Sumia asked.

"Well," said Eve, "Considering how Gangrel has ordered every other soldier here into an almost suicidal charge, it's almost guaranteed that the wyvern riders we heard will be doing the same. But they will likely wait for an opportune moment to avoid wasting energy. As such, their best opportunity will be when the Shepherds are sufficiently occupied with the ground force, trying not to get surrounded."

"So we're…"

Eve did not reply, her gaze fixed on the paths ahead of them as they soared. She carefully did not look away when Sumia glanced back at her, though her hands tightened their hold on the handle of her mother's lance.

She could feel them, just barely on the edge of her senses. It was a fuzzy feeling, perhaps due to their lack of prowess and her inexperience in targeting magic signatures, but they were there. Waiting.

"We might not have a choice," she said eventually. "We are the furthest up the mountain right now and, essentially, alone. We can give them a target before they can think to get the others."

It was risky. Beyond risky, some would say. More experienced tacticians would balk at the idea. Would try to suggest a different tactic, to regroup and confront the riders that way. Even if it put more vulnerable soldiers at risk than just the few that were more equipped to handle the encounter. The other Shepherds versus her and Sumia, in that instance.

Eve was smart. Could be smart. But she was not an experienced or genius tactician. Neither would she claim to be. The most practical option she could see right now, to minimalize the damage to the army, was to send Sumia and herself to meet the wyvern riders when they showed.

Sumia trembled and Eve felt a pang of guilt as they flew on, but she quickly smothered the feeling.

They were soldiers. This was their duty.

And yet.

"We can do this," Eve said.

They were soldiers, but they were also human. It was natural to feel fear.

Eve spared Sumia a smile when the brunette chanced another look back over her shoulder. "We can do this," she repeated. "We are pegasus knights. The sky is our territory."

A moment later, as if responding to the bold claim, inhuman shrieks rent the air and took any other option away from them.

* * *

Lissa was panicking, plain and simple.

In a way, she kind of blamed Maribelle for it because Maribelle knew how to panic like nobody's business and yet seem like she was only worried, like a prim and proper lady. Lissa had never been much for the prim and proper, though she did try to copy Emm sometimes, so she was panicking and showing it.

Beside her, Kyanos nickered and nudged her shoulder with his nose. Lissa jumped and looked at him, then gave a laugh that bordered hysterical.

"Is that your way of telling me not to worry so much?" she asked, teasing. A part of her wondered just how badly she was acting to make a pegasus want to console her.

Kyanos snorted, bumping his nose against her once more before straightening.

On Kyanos's other side, Ricken gave a loud sigh. He was staring in the direction that Sumia flew off in, looking pensive. "I hope they're okay…"

"They'll be just fine," Lissa said. Whether it was more for his or her benefit, she didn't know. She elected both. "Eve's strong and Sumia… Sumia's trained a lot with her. They work well together. They'll be okay."

"How do you know that?" Ricken asked, frustrated. "We're surrounded and it's just them two out there—they could be struck down by arrows before they can get back to us. Or—or Eve could already be dead from an ambush!" The last admission seemed to have struck him badly and he groaned, sinking to his knees. "Oh man, this is all my fault…!"

"Ricken…" The blonde princess wavered and, for the lack of anything better to do, clutched the young girl she had been comforting the last few minutes. The village girl had cried herself to sleep almost moments after Sumia left, most likely exhausted by the entire ordeal. Lissa did not blame her. "You can't think that way. They… They have to be fine."

"Ooooi!" Both mage and cleric jumped at the call, turning to find Vaike running up to them, free hand waving. "You two! The heck are you doing just sitting in the open?"

"Where's Miss Sumia?" Donnel asked as the others in the group got closer. A quick glance told Lissa that Miriel was with them, as well as Lon'qu. "And Miss Eve?"

"Eve distracted some soldiers to let Ricken and her—" Lissa gestured to the younger girl in her arms, "—get away. Sumia went after her a little while ago."

Vaike made a sound in his throat that sounded vaguely impressed. "Whoa-_ho!_ That was pretty bold of you, little man."

Lon'qu was less so. "Reckless."

Ricken winced. "I know, but I just—"

Whatever he had been about to say was swiftly cut off at the sound of wyverns shrieking in the distance. Lissa gasped, turning to where they originated on the mountain.

"This scintillating conversation and proclamations of guilt can be continued later," Miriel concluded. "Until then, it would be wiser for us to seek shelter lest we attract the attention of our draconian adversaries."

"There's an abandoned fort nearby," Kellam suggested, his sudden appearance nearly making Lissa scream when he offered to carry the village girl in her stead. "It looks sturdy enough."

"It will be more easily defensible as well," Miriel agreed. "Come. Quickly."

Without further ado, they ran, risking enemy encounters in the safety of the trees to reach their destination.

* * *

True to Eve's claim, the wyvern riders locked on to her and Sumia mere moments after they took flight. With vicious snarls and piercing cries, they tore after the lone pegasus, their riders jeering at the two women on its back.

"Let them chase," Eve ordered. "They're overconfident."

Sumia guided her pegasus over the mountainside, gliding over the rugged landscape and trying to ignore the intimidating growls behind them. She dared not look when she felt Eve twist around, swinging her legs until they were sitting back to back.

There was a surge of power and Sumia barely had enough time to firmly grip her pegasus's reins before Eve shot out a spell, violent winds directed straight into their pursuers. Her pegasus let out a nervous whinny and jerked just as a wyvern shrieked behind them, accompanied by angered shouts.

"One down. Another is injured," Eve said. Her breathing was heavy and Sumia could feel that she was slumping. "Sorry. I should've… warned you…"

"Are you all right?" Sumia asked, alarmed.

"Fine. Just… too much magic. I won't use that again." Not unless they had no other choice, at least.

Looking up, Eve calculated the distance between the remaining wyvern riders.

"Sumia, when you can, turn. And ready your lance."

Sumia tensed, but took a deep breath. "A—All right. Hold on."

As her fellow pegasus knight worked the reins, Eve moved so that she was sitting sideways. A dangerous position, but one she had practiced often under her mother's guidance. It required a great deal of trust between rider and passenger as any sudden movement could possibly have the latter slide off. But Eve trusted Sumia. It was just Sumia's lack of trust in her own self that was her problem.

Eve felt more than saw as the pegasus's wings straightened, tilting so they swiftly turned in the sky. She held on, leaning into the turn and feeling her heart pound at the familiar freedom of flight—

A wyvern zoomed towards them, claws extended with the intent to maim; its rider brandished his axe.

The distance closed and the man struck out, missing by a hair's breadth. The momentum of his attack left him open and Sumia jabbed at his side, then quickly pulled away to avoid losing her lance. Eve sliced at the wyvern's nearest wing.

It was over in seconds.

Eve watched as the wyvern fell the long way down, tumbling through the air. Sumia let out a shuddering breath that she politely pretended not to hear.

"Two more," Eve said softly. Her eyes narrowed as she took in one of them, lagging almost leisurely behind. His armor looked different, even from a distance. The commander? "Get ready, Sumia."

* * *

The enemy numbers were waning.

Chrom wanted to give a sigh of relief, but the terrible cries of Plegian wyverns kept him on edge. His group managed to take over the fort that the Plegians had been using to their advantage and were just cleaning up when they sounded, forcing them to take shelter in the defendable building. He sent Frederick and Stahl to scout ahead and return with whatever news they found.

It took a while, but the two knights eventually did return, with Frederick looking even grimmer than before. Chrom had not known that was even possible.

"What's happened?" he asked, anxious.

"The second team has managed to occupy another fort, clearing it of its own band of Plegian soldiers," Frederick reported dutifully. Before Chrom could feel even remotely relieved, he continued, "Unfortunately, Sumia and Eve were not amongst them, as Eve had separated earlier to distract enemy soldiers from young Ricken, who escaped with the village girl on Eve's mount. Sumia went after her and…"

When Frederick trailed off, grimacing, Chrom was almost too scared to ask. But he did anyway, because these were his Shepherds and it was his duty as their captain to know. "And what?"

Stahl looked between them. He cleared his throat. "…And we saw them fighting the wyvern riders."

Chrom blanched. "Alone?"

"Well, technically they're fighting together, but… yes."

Chrom ran out of the fort, ignoring Frederick's warning, and kept his eyes on the higher slopes. He could hear the battle, if he strained his ears. But the trees and the cliffs were blocking his view. Where… Where…

There!

In the distance, the solitary white figure of Sumia's pegasus cut across the brown and green mountainside, charging the larger dark figure of a wyvern. The latter bellowed a challenge, powerful wings surging, claws reaching…

* * *

Eve repositioned herself again, taking a steadier seat by facing forward once more. Her tome had yet to be tucked away in case of emergency and she was tempted to whip it out again against this adversary, consequences be damned.

Taking out the other wyvern rider had been deceptively simple. The wyvern itself had already been damaged by Eve's earlier wind spell, so kicking it down out of the sky was a matter of taking out its rider. Sumia drove her pegasus close and took advantage of her lance's longer grip, knocking the man down. The wyvern was jerked back as its rider's grip on the reins slackened, and it swiftly lost the battle to fly.

As it fell, though, the last rider finally took off after them, having observed enough.

"I am Orton," he gave in an almost gracious tone. "And I ask not for your names in return. Just your lives!"

And his wyvern tore through the air, claws catching the pegasus just barely on its wing. The flying horse cried out and they fell. Sumia screamed even as she yanked on the reins. A heart-stopping moment later, the pegasus responded and caught itself, wings straining to keep them in the air.

Eve assessed the damage. "A graze. It's bleeding, but not serious in the short term." It could heal if they managed to end the fight soon. Too long and prolonged fight could cause the injury to worsen. "We can't let him get close enough to try that again."

Sumia shakily agreed. "But then what can we do?"

Magic was their easiest bet. But the current spell tome Eve had would only allow them one shot, as Eve only had the energy for one more. She would likely pass out right after, and if the attack did not connect, it would leave Sumia alone to finish the confrontation with dead weight besides.

Eve's eyes slid down to their only other weapons. Her lance and Sumia's.

Her mother's lance was heavy, built for power and balance. There was more metal in its making than the average lance, to even out its weight along the handle as opposed to the normal metal blade and wooden handle combination.

Sumia's was the standard issue lance, made light enough to carry by mounted units and heavily-armored knights all across the army. It was not a throwing spear by any means, but with the proper amount of force…

"Start closing in the distance," Eve ordered, reaching out to grab Sumia's lance alongside her. "Get in as close as we can. Then throw. I'll help."

The brunette nodded, steering her pegasus around. She flinched when Orton laughed as they faced one another on opposite sides. She took in a shaky breath and whipped her pegasus's reins, leaning forward into the charge as she hoisted her lance up, like a javelin.

Behind her, Eve kept her grip on the lance, not looking down as she pressed her other hand against the pages of her tome. Under her breath, she whispered the incantation of the spell, channeling it into Sumia's lance.

The wyvern bellowed a challenge as they neared, legs and claws extended for another chance to tear into their flesh.

"Now, Sumia!" Eve let go and Sumia threw the spear with all her might, letting loose a determined war cry. Around the lance, the spell ignited, miniature wind currents sending it flying through the air like a lethal shooting star.

Too fast to dodge. Too fast to block.

Powerful enough to run straight through Orton's chest armor. He choked—and died—mid-laugh.

As they passed, Eve grabbed hold of her mother's lance and struck at the wyvern's extended claws, satisfied when it let out a pained cry, backing away.

And then she slumped forward, sighing. The adrenaline was already fading, leaving her feeling even more exhausted than before. Perhaps she had put too much in that last attack anyway…

In front of her, Sumia let out a relieved laugh. "We… We did it! We beat him!"

She chuckled. "You fought well. Now… let's go… regroup with the others…"

"Eve?" Sumia twisted around, worry plain on her face. "Oh no… Hold on!"

"Don't worry," Eve tried to reassure her, but her eyelids were drooping. She felt so tired… "It's just… magic exhaustion…"

She willed herself to stay awake as they flew. But a body in front of her and the wind on her face was familiar. Comforting. Thoughts that they would soon reach the others helped her relax further.

Smiling, Eve wondered when she had begun to associate the Shepherds with safety.


	21. Assassins in the Corridors

**Disclaimer**: I do not own _Fire Emblem Awakening_ nor any of the canon characters from there. As for any original characters that may show up, any resemblance they may have to others is highly likely coincidental. If not and they happen to reference some other character or fandom on purpose or by accident, I don't own that either! (Also don't own the summary quote, which is from _InuYasha_.)

**Other Notes**: I feel bad about not updating this story as often as I probably should. Especially since I'm starting another story for FANOWRIMO rather than just sticking through and completing this one. I am still working on this and have no plans to abandon it, however, so as long as people are willing to stick with it, I will keep on writing this story through to the end!_**  
**_

* * *

_**The Wings of Goodbye**_

**Chapter Twenty-One  
**

* * *

Floating in a pure white world, Eve observed the sphere that loomed over her.

"Grima," she spoke, unbidden.

Myriad emotions swirled through her at the fell dragon's name, some so complex that she couldn't describe them with a single name. Her future counterparts had left more than a few imprints of her memories, it seemed, her anger and regret sweeping over in waves. But more than that was an overwhelming despair that settled on the fringe of madness, so utterly complete that it seemed inhuman.

"Where am I?" someone asked behind her.

Eve turned, stilling when she saw a familiar-looking girl standing behind her. Silvery hair spilled over her shoulders, over the armor of a pegasus knight-in-training. Bright green eyes, large and innocent in a way Eve had never been, peered up at her.

"Where am I?" the girl asked again, a wide smile on her face. "Who am I?"

"I…" Eve tried to reply, but found herself speechless. She knew, and yet… "I don't… know…"

Silence reigned.

The girl smiled quietly.

Eve wondered if she had always been wearing that coat, _her _coat. The coat her mother had given her, deep purple with gold trimmings and designs of Grima's eyes. It trailed behind the girl, many sizes too big.

Then, the girl lifted a hand, pointing behind Eve.

Pointing at Grima's sphere.

"Who am I?" she asked.

"Not him," Eve denied immediately, feeling cold.

"No," the girl agreed. But she did not stop pointing. "Who am I?"

The world melted.

* * *

When Eve opened her eyes, she found herself staring at the darkened canopy of a bed that felt far too luxurious to be the Shepherds' garrison.

Something was wrong.

Pushing herself up, Eve felt her heart pound. How long had it been since she knocked out? It felt like not a few hours, but if she was in the Ylissean castle, as she suspected…

She slipped out of the bed and realized that someone had changed her out of her uniform and armor and into what looked like a nightgown. It was somewhat plain despite its frills, but the hem pooled slightly around her feet onto the tiled floor, indicating that it belonged to a somewhat taller female than herself. But as perturbed as it made her feel to know she was wearing someone else's clothing, it bothered her more how light and airy the fabric was. She felt positively _naked_.

Shaking her head, Eve stole to the door of the room only to stop, a faint sense niggling away at the back of her mind. Magic sense, she realized. There was someone in the hall that she didn't recognize and, while she didn't know the guards of the palace, this presence didn't feel like the numerous Ylissean soldiers she'd been surrounded by the past few weeks.

Pulling away from the door, she scanned her temporary room for anything she could use as a makeshift weapon. The blanket, possibly, but it was most likely the person was armed and could rip through it.

There was a candelabra…

Eve's sensing told her that the person was moving past her door. She grabbed the metal stand, removing the candles set there.

The person didn't enter, moving past in an almost confident manner.

Praying that the door did not creak, Eve twisted the knob and pulled it open, just enough to allow her to slip through. Then, gathering the skirt of her nightgown so she didn't trip, she padded forward on bare feet, candelabra tight in her grasp.

It didn't take her long to find her target. He moved stealthily through the halls, but he seemed intent on not gathering attention to himself and so moved slowly enough to render his footsteps silent. Once or twice, his movements stilled, but he kept moving forward again with time, never bothering to check behind him.

The steps of a confident thief—and foolish prey.

Eve dashed forward, mind returning to days she spent hunting in the wild, for training and for her next meal.

"What the—"

The thief turned, startlingly fast. His blade followed to parry her poor excuse of a weapon.

He had good reflexes, Eve begrudgingly admitted. She backed away quickly before he could recover from his shock and retaliate, but kept the candelabra up to hopefully dissuade him from attacking anyway.

"Whoa, lady," the thief eventually said, sounding dumbfounded. He lowered his sword. "Pretty fierce, aren't ya? Attacking while dressed like that." It was hard to tell with the lack of light, but he sounded as if he were smiling. "I swear, I'm not here to hurt anyone. I'm just here for the loot."

Eve stayed silent, eyeing the sword he was very obviously holding.

The thief seemed to notice this, for he sheathed it and held up his hands. "Honest! They didn't even tell me about this, uh…" He stumbled over his words before sighing. "Look, lady, if you don't say anything, I'll make sure those guys don't harm you. Doesn't look like there's anything down this way, anyway. Just, uh, go back to your room like a good noble girl?"

Noble?

Oh… The nightgown.

More importantly, "those guys" implied he wasn't working alone… and though he seemed ready to peacefully steal from the palace, his words implied the opposite intent of his supposed comrades. Eve strained her hearing and faulty magic sense, trying to extend both senses past their usual range somehow.

It was faint, but she could make out the sounds of fighting. She didn't know if that was her imagination supplying the sounds for her, but…

Eve lowered her candelabra.

He sighed in obvious relief. "Good. Now, get going—"

Thinking fast, she threw the candelabra at him before pivoting and running off, towards where she thought she heard the fighting was. The thief yelped and cursed as the candelabra clattered onto the ground, but the sound of his footsteps soon took after her.

* * *

When Eve arrived on the scene, she found the Shepherds clear at work, fighting off hooded figures in the halls.

"Eve!" a voice called, causing numerous others to look her way in surprise before resuming their fights. A pair of footsteps ran at her and the dark flier soon found her arms full of Ylissean princess. "You're awake!"

"So it seems," Eve replied before plucking the fledgling war cleric's axe from her hands. "Excuse me, Lissa."

She turned, brandishing the axe and swinging it when her pursuer neared. He caught himself in time before it connected, as she expected him to.

"What the hell, lady!?" he cried before quieting when he saw the numerous Ylissean soldiers behind her. He grimaced, the expression pulling on his rather handsome features. "Aw, crap."

"Is he one of them?" Sully asked.

"So it seems," Eve repeated. She handed Lissa's axe back and the princess took it handily. "Though his employers didn't seem to see it fit to inform him of their true intentions." Ignoring the surprised look on the thief's face, she glanced back to the Shepherds, who were apparently finished clearing the hall of intruders. "Speaking of, what's happened?"

"Um, well, we're not exactly sure," Lissa said. "The alarm sounded a bit ago and Chrom gathered us here to protect Emm! Then these guys started coming in and, well…"

"Where is the captain?"

"He went after the main force," Sully answered. "Someone saw something in the courtyard, so Captain Chrom took Frederick to investigate. He told us to take care of anyone that came down the halls and to watch over, uh, those two…"

Eve blinked. "'Those two'?"

Lissa tugged on the loose sleeve of her nightgown. "In Emm's room. This way."

Eve started to follow before remembering the thief, who remained where he was, standing awkwardly under the stares of the other Shepherds.

It went against her base instincts, but something told her that she could trust him.

"You," she said, gaze unwavering so he was not mistaken of whom she was addressing. "Come with me."

He stiffened in shock, but jerked forward when Lon'qu nudged him with the hilt of his sword. Casting a wary look at the others, who merely watched him back, he shuffled over to where she stood with Lissa.

"Name's Gaius," he muttered, clearly taken aback by the lack of outright hostility. She had outed him as being part of the enemy, and yet they did nothing. She had been similarly surprised not so long ago, welcomed despite her Plegian blood.

"Eve," she replied before following Lissa down the hall, the other Shepherds trailing behind.

* * *

"Those two" turned out to be Marth—or was it Lucina now, with her mask off and hair undone?—and a bestial woman named Panne, who was apparently the last of a race called the Taguel. Both had appeared that night, knowledgeable of the attack and infiltration, in order to protect Exalt Emmeryn from being killed.

Eve now stood in said exalt's bedroom, being caught up on the situation by Marth, who stood vigil by one of the doors.

"I'm surprised to see you here," Eve said carefully, watching the girl's body language from the corner of her eye. She was very tense, to the point that her skin was white where she clenched the hilt of her Falchion.

"I've seen the future," Marth admitted, making Eve blink in surprise. "Where Emmeryn was killed tonight. In this attack. It _cannot_ happen. I won't allow it."

Eve didn't expect her to. "I see. Then it is well that the Shepherds were here to stave off the attack." Although a part of her did wonder why they were gathered at the palace in the first place rather than the garrison. "Captain Chrom and Sir Frederick should have the matter well at hand… Any lingering assassins should scatter if they can defeat their leader."

She paused, then turned to Gaius, who had remained silent since entering the room behind her. He seemed to have gotten closer to Emmeryn's dressing table, but was surprisingly well-behaved. That Marth had not reacted to him also told her that she had made the right call in deeming him safe to be around.

"Your commander," she said, catching his attention. "Can you tell us anything about him that could help in a confrontation?"

"Didn't you just say your captain is already on his way to go fight him?" Gaius asked in return, looking incredulous at the belated information gathering.

"Just answer, U—ah, sir," Marth cut in, sounding exasperated.

Gaius snorted. "I'm no sir." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, I didn't meet him long. Just when he hired me and some others. He's creepy-looking. Tall, dark… not handsome. He's got 'evil sorcerer' written all over him." He nodded to himself. "Yeah… Dark robes, gold accessories… Trademark Plegian dark mage items. I think he's pretty high-ranked, though, judging by the Grimleal marks on his cape."

Eve felt a chill bloom in her gut at the description as Marth tensed. "Are you certain?"

"Yeah," Gaius affirmed. "His outfit's a lot fancier than the standard uniform in their army. It stood out to me 'cause of that…" He shrugged. "And, well, the gold."

"Validar," Eve said in a low tone, ignoring the way Marth's breath hitched. "His name… was it Validar?"

"Validar…?" Gaius repeated, looking thoughtful. Recognition clicked on his face. "I think so, yeah. Why do you—hey!"

Eve tore past him, out the door the Shepherds were guarding. They yelled for her as she ran, but she ignored their confused calls, ignored the desperate way Marth told them to _stop her_ because _Validar was there_.

Her bastard of a father was there. Her bastard of a father who had successfully called upon Grima in another world, another future. Her bastard of a father who caused her mother's death in this time, however inadvertently, through his master's actions.

Anger burned like lava beneath her skin as she ran through the halls, letting her magic sense fly and lock on to the writhing mass of dark energy just outside the castle walls.

Several hooded figures converged on her as she ran, and in her fury she blasted through them with magic she shouldn't have been able to use without a spell tome. But she was too far gone to consider that, intent on reaching her father before Chrom could deliver justice.

* * *

"_So you got revenge for her?" Eve had asked Henry once upon a time._

_Henry had given her his funny little smile, head nodding. "Of course!"_

_And Eve had smiled back. Because she knew that she would have done the same had it been Kyanos killed, or her mother or Ilyas. She would have howled for blood, would have gotten vengeance for them in any way she could have. "Good."  
_

* * *

When Eve burst out of the castle and into the courtyard, Chrom first felt shock at her rather explosive entrance, then relief and joy that she was awake. She had been asleep since the battle with Gangrel's forces on the mountain, after all, having knocked out while Sumia delivered her with all haste to where they had gathered in one of the abandoned forts.

Maribelle and Lissa had done their best to heal her, but in the end they could do little to wake her up again. Magic exhaustion could only be restored through rest, Miriel informed them (which Ricken translated when her vocabulary confounded them all once more). And so, all they could do was let her sleep.

That had been nearly a week ago, much to everyone's worry. In an effort to get her to rest as comfortably as possible, Chrom had her tucked away in one of the castle's guest rooms, as it was more comfortable than the beds in the garrison. The Shepherds, as a result, came to stay in the castle's bunkers for the army as well, intent on being around when their tactician and friend awakened.

It worked out for the best. Chrom didn't want to think of what would have happened if the attack occurred and they couldn't respond in time.

However…

"Eve!" Chrom called, only for Frederick to hold him back with a hand on his shoulder.

"Milord," the knight warned, "I do not believe she is in her right mind."

Alarm spiked. "What?"

Chrom turned back, looking to Eve where she stood, body tense, by the entrance to the castle. She looked strangely small and harmless, dressed in one of Emm's nightgowns—no, he amended when he looked closer. Not harmless. Her gown was torn at the ends and she held a sword in one hand that was clearly not one of the regulation blades passed out for the Ylissean army.

Even from where he and Frederick stood, some yards away, he could feel the air crackle around her. Her expression wasn't clear over the distance, but everything about her body language said she was furious. She was wound up, but clearly prepared to attack. Like a coiled snake.

"_Validar_," she growled. There was really no other word for it. The word left her lips like a curse and the prince found himself drawing back at the sound of it.

A cackle answered her. "Well, this is interesting! Can it truly be!?" The tall man that Chrom and Frederick had been on their way to confront, who had waited behind the assassins guarding him like a smug king, made his way to her. "After years of searching…"

Eve lunged forward, blade flashing in the moonlight. The man lifted an arm almost lazily, a stream of fire bursting forth. Chrom shouted at the suddenness of the confrontation, but Frederick's tight grip on his shoulder kept him frustratingly in place.

"Let go, Frederick!" he ordered, but the knight refused.

Before he could demand to be released again, Eve's voice stopped him cold.

"You killed her!" she screamed, voice cracking with the intensity of her fury. She swiped at the man with such force that Chrom could hear the displaced air clearly despite the pounding in his ears. Killed? No, it couldn't be, Emm…?

"Oh?" the man asked, sounding so amused that Chrom wanted to forgo using his sword and simply punching him in the face. "And who did I kill?"

A rush of energy swirled around Eve before it burst out, knocking the man back several spaces. "My MOTHER!"

Chrom felt a rush of relief, followed swiftly by sickening guilt. His tactician and, dare he say, his friend, was so clearly hurting and yet all he could think of was _"Thank the gods it's not my family."_

"Ho ho… How intriguing," the man murmured as he recovered from the magic strike. "Show me more, child…"

Again, he waved his arm, fire streaming in an elegant arc in Eve's direction.

Not dodging like before, Chrom watched as she ran to meet it, throwing her sword to the side. Her body moved in a way he had never seen her before, the movements cold. Calculated. _Reptilian_. It reminded him of the way he was told wyverns hunted, brutal and swift…

She cut through the arcfire, bringing her arm down like a claw and forcing the sorcerer back another few steps with another burst of magic.

He cackled. "Truly magnificent!" The smile he showed then was sharp and threatening. "It is unfortunate, but I shall retreat for now… It appears there are more factors I must account for than I expected…"

At his words, the bushes rustled and several more assassins leapt out, landing between him and them.

"No!" Eve cried, lashing out, but the man escaped, the others covering his back.

Chrom, though his mind was still trying to comprehend what just happened, readied the Falchion, helping cut through the hooded soldiers with Frederick.

When they were all down, somehow still alive despite Eve clearly striking them with more force than necessary and ready to be imprisoned, Chrom carefully approached Eve. He lifted a hand, moving it slowly in her sight so she was not startled and settling it on her shoulder.

Like a switch, she crumpled, collapsing to her knees on the courtyard's ground. He watched her with a strange sort of pity as she trembled, staring at her hands. Removing his cape, he placed it gingerly over her shoulders.

When he looked up, he saw the girl who called herself Marth watching them from the hall Eve had exited the castle from, sheathing her sword. A complicated series of emotions flitted across her face, but then she looked away.

Chrom sighed. What a long night this turned out to be…


End file.
